What Lies Beneath
by Rainb0wNinja
Summary: After making a detour on their way to Dressrosa, the Strawhats learn of a mysterious treasure being kept hidden on the island. However, getting to it will be much harder than any of them thought possible. Sanji knows the people hiding it are dangerous, and despite his instincts screaming at him to stay away, he knows it's not an option. In the midst of it all, feelings develop...
1. Chapter 1

"We have to make a detour."

It was inevitable, Sanji supposed, that they would make a pit-stop on their way to Dressrosa. Their stores were low, the ship needed repairs, and everyone needed rest before going against a warlord. That much was obvious to everyone, except maybe a certain guest who was entirely too eager to reach Doflamingo.

"We haven't gotten close to Dressrosa yet, it's too early to stop."

Nami gave Law a rather unimpressed scowl, clearly not in the mood to argue over something that had already been decided. "We're almost out of food and there's only one island close to us. If we don't stop now we'll starve, and I don't think you want that." Law, to his credit, looked completely unfazed. Sanji had a feeling he wasn't as unaffected as he pretended to be. After all, Law had asked for their help, and had been urging them to hurry to Dressrosa since leaving Punk Hazard.

For whatever reason, Law needed to take down Doflamingo, and fast. Sanji still hadn't figured out why. But he was working on it.

"We can't stop for very long, not with a hostage. If Doflamingo get's the upper-hand..."

"Do you think he will?" Nami interrupted, raising an eyebrow at Law. "Because I think he's _expecting_ us to hurry. Right now, he has no idea where we are, and if we take our time it might throw him off-guard. We won't take any longer than we need to on this island anyways, but it might be just enough time to make him sweat."

There was a beat of silence, the rest of the crew too engrossed in the argument to make a sound, until finally Law relented.

"...Very well, as long as we don't delay for too long."

Nami grinned in satisfaction, rolling up her map and leaving the galley. Now that the tension had dissipated, the others resumed making as much noise as possible, Law quietly making his exit. Sanji watched him go, thinking that their guest was extraordinarily different from past allies. Law was a mystery.

And Sanji had a thing for solving mysteries.

* * *

They docked at the island later that day, finding an inn and negotiating a deal. It took some work, but that was one of Nami's specialties. Nobody seemed to recognize them, not yet anyways. Sanji knew somebody would eventually, even if they _did_ manage to lay low. Then again, it was a rather small island, so there was a chance nobody here had ever heard of them.

"It's getting late, what do you guys wanna do?" Luffy asked, staring hungrily at the restaurant across the street. Sanji zoned out for a bit, looking around the inn's lobby until he noticed Nami slowly creeping towards two seedy looking old men who were muttering to each other, wondering what the hell they could be talking about that would catch Nami's attention.

Nami tip-toed closer, knowing she had heard a piece of valuable information, but the men were speaking so low she couldn't quite make it out.

"...Haven't heard from 'em lately. They're still holdin onto it, waitin for someone new to try takin it. Ol' shitheads ain't never gonna leave. Sick bastards."

"We got visitors now, didn't ya here? Bet they'd try takin it. They wouldn't make it back neither, just like the rest of 'em."

"A damn shame too, I wouldn't mind getting a piece of that treasure. Ain't worth dyin for though."

Nami chose that moment to make her presence known, poking her head between the two and grinning. "Did you say...treasure?"

The two jumped, heads snapping to look at Nami in shock. "Cripes, ya damn near gave me a heart attack, missy!"

"And ya were spying on us! Mind yer own business, would ya? That treasure ain't worth what it cost!"

Sanji figured he might as well back Nami up, since the odds of her leaving them alone were slim to none. Not when treasure was involved. The racket from the old men gained the others attention as well, all of them joining Nami and making both men look even more hesitant.

"You might as well tell her where it is. She won't leave until you do." Sanji said, crossing his arms and letting out a stream of smoke from his mouth.

"Look, that treasure has gotten plenty of kids like y'all killed. Trust us, ya don't wanna get involved."

Nami frowned, annoyed at being called a kid. "Either you tell us where it is or we force it out of you. Your choice."

The two shrunk back, looking between each other before sighing in resignation. "Aw jeez, fine, but we warned ya! If ya really want the treasure, just go south. There's a house deep in the forest there, and that's where yer treasure is. Good luck gettin to it though."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sanji asked, glaring at the two when they hesitated. "You told us this much, so you might as well tell us the rest. Why is this treasure so dangerous?"

"The people who live there are sick in the head. We've seen all kinds of people come lookin for it, and they never came back outta that forest. We townsfolk decided to leave 'em be, we sure as hell don't wanna die, but it would be nice if they left. Ain't no reason for 'em to stay here hordin treasure."

"So they kill people?" Luffy asked. The old men nodded.

"Don't know where the bodies go. We lost a few of our own, way back when they first showed up. Tried callin the Navy for help, but nobody came. Them assholes don't give a damn about a little place like this."

"I see..." Nami said, saddened by the story but not deterred in the slightest. "Well, don't worry, we'll take care of it for you! That treasure is as good as mine!"

"Yeah, and we'll fight all of them, they can't kill us!" Luffy added, Zoro and Franky nodding in agreement.

Usopp and Chopper looked ready to run back to the ship. "You can't be serious! We'll die!"

"This isn't why we came here." Law muttered, the two men looking at him as if they'd just realized he was there.

"Wait a minute...ain't you that Trafalgar fella? Shit, y'all are pirates!" One of the men yelled, gaining the attention of the inn's staff. Sanji looked around, spotting the nearest exit in case they needed to run.

"Well I'll be damned, we got _Trafalgar Law_ and a whole group of pirates willing to get rid of them assholes down south!"

That had the staff grinning and looking relieved, and _that_ was unexpected.

"Wait, you guys don't care that we're pirates?" Luffy asked, grinning when the men nodded.

"As long as you send them bastards runnin, we don't give a shit! Hell, I bet that Trafalgar fella could do it by himself!"

Law, unsurprisingly, looked slightly uncomfortable if not completely unfazed by the sudden attention.

"Eh?! No way, Tra-guy can't have all the fun! I'll beat them first!" Luffy yelled, causing both men to cackle and slap their knees.

"I like yer spirit, kid! Go on then, go get 'em!"

That was evidently all Luffy needed to hear, since he sprinted out of the hotel with an excited shout. Sanji sighed, wondering where the hell Luffy got all that energy from. They followed him nonetheless, Law looking incredibly grumpy since they had gotten sidetracked already.

"Hey, you wanted an alliance." Sanji remarked, smirking at the look he got in return.

"This isn't necessarily what I had in mind." Law replied, shifting his sword to his other shoulder. Sanji wondered how he could just walk around with it like that when the damn thing was almost the same height as him.

"I warned you it wouldn't be." Sanji lit up another cigarette, noting the fact that it was nearly dark out and they were heading towards a thick forest where a bunch of loons lived. He supposed they had been in worse situations, but something about this one felt different.

"Mm, I should have listened." Law had a barely noticeable smirk on his face, one that vanished almost as soon as it appeared. Sanji blinked, so used to the man scowling that he almost didn't believe Law had smirked at all.

"Yeah well, you're stuck with us now, so get used to it."

"I suppose I don't have a choice."

* * *

They traipsed through the forest for quite sometime, following the dirt path that was just barely visible. The longer they walked, the more Sanji felt that something was off. Nothing _seemed_ out of the ordinary, and yet for some reason he couldn't help but feel that they were walking into trouble. He wanted to blame it on the old men and their story. For all they knew, those men could have been full of shit.

And yet, the ominous feeling wouldn't go away.

"Ugh, how much longer do we have to walk? This forest is creepy!" Usopp sniveled, eyes rapidly darting back and forth.

"It has to be close, the island isn't that big. Besides, we're doing this for treasure! It's totally worth it!" Nami exclaimed, eyes sparkling at the prospect of money.

"But Nami, those old guys said people have _died_ trying to find it! Doesn't that scare you?!" Chopper asked, practically glued to Zoro's leg for protection.

"Of course not! I'll do anything for gold, and besides, it sounds like these people need our help. That is, assuming those old geezers weren't lying to us." Sanji was glad he wasn't the only one doubting them, at least, but he knew Nami would get her treasure one way or another. If the men _had_ lied to them, she would more than likely hunt them down and electrocute them.

"Either way, it's an island adventure! Maybe there's food at this house!" Luffy grinned, licking his lips at the mere _idea_ of food.

The path took an abrupt turn, and suddenly they were faced with a large iron gate, brick wall surrounding the area.

"Well, I'm guessing this is the place. Should we just break the gate down?" Franky asked, Robin quickly stepping in front of him before he could blow something up.

"We don't want them knowing we're here. Not yet, anyways. They might kill us before we even get inside."

"Morbid, Robin!" Usopp cried. Sanji frowned, his skin prickling as he looked through the gates. He could at least see the house, but it was strangely dark, almost as if nobody was home.

"I bet I can pick this lock." Nami muttered, already in the process while the others looked around. Sanji noticed the dirt path they had been following continued going past the house, towards the other side of the island. He bent down to see better, noting the barely visible footprints going in that direction.

"They're not here." He said, causing everyone to pause what they were doing. "There's tracks in the dirt heading that way, see? Plus the lights aren't on."

"So we got lucky!" Nami beamed, twisting her wrist and unlocking the gate. "But we need to make this quick. They could be back soon."

"But I wanted to fight them!" Luffy whined, stepping through the gates first. "We'll have to come back when they're home."

"Are you _insane_?!" Usopp whispered harshly, biting his nails as they neared the house. It was actually a lot larger than they had been expecting, and now that they were up close and personal with it, Sanji's nerves were on high alert. Something felt horridly wrong. It was driving him crazy.

"Usopp's right. We're lucky enough that they aren't home, but coming back would be stupid. These aren't the people we want to mess with." Sanji said, looking around as frantically as Usopp had been.

"Why do you say that, Sanji bro? Do you really believe what those guys said?" Franky asked, Sanji nodding in agreement.

"I didn't at first. But now that we're here...I _feel_ it, you know? It's hard to explain, but this place is just full of bad vibes. We need to make this quick."

"Well, we need to get inside first. I'd like to use the front door, but these people are guarding treasure, and there's no way they would _all_ leave the house. Someone has to be in there. So, I'm open to suggestions." Nami said, immediately shushing Luffy. "And no, we're not just going to run in and fight whoever's there."

"Might I suggest using the back door?" Robin asked, Nami smiling in agreement.

"Okay, but everyone be _quiet_. This requires stealth!"

They carefully made their way towards the back of the house, although the 'quiet' part would obviously be a challenge since Usopp's teeth kept chattering together and Chopper kept whimpering every two seconds. Sanji stayed towards the back, keeping his eyes open for anything strange (although really everything about the place was fucking off-putting.)

Eventually though they came across the back door, and a light shining through a window upstairs to boot.

"Well, Nami was right. Guess we should go now." Usopp whispered, attempting to flee and getting caught by Zoro before he could get anywhere.

"No way, we've made it this far already. But should we really _all_ be going in there? Seems like a good way to get caught." Zoro brought up a good point, one they should have thought of in the first place.

"I'm surprised you managed to think of that, Marimo. Guess you're capable of intelligence after all." Sanji jabbed, getting the finger in return.

"He's right though. Only a few of us should go in, and the rest of us can watch the perimeter. If they come home before we get a chance to leave, we'll have to let whoever's inside know." Nami said, frowning in thought. "The question is, how are we going to do that?"

"I'm sure I can handle that." Robin smiled, a hand popping up on Nami's shoulder.

"Robin, you're a genius! Now, who wants to go in there? Someone sneaky!" Nami shot a glare at Luffy, knowing _that_ would end in disaster. "Hmm, how about you, Sanji?"

"Anything for you, my dear." Sanji immediately agreed despite his brain screaming at him to stay away, not wanting to disappoint his flower.

"Great! I'll go too. The rest of you spread out and keep watch. Make _sure_ you don't get caught though. If this all goes right, I should have my treasure soon!" Nami grinned, testing the door to see if it was locked. Unsurprisingly, it was, and so she began working on picking that lock as well. While she did that, the others dispersed. One of Robin's hands popped up on Sanji's shoulder, the other one still on Nami's as well. If they needed to get out of there, Robin would let them know.

"I trust you more than any of them to stay quiet, except maybe Robin, but I still have to warn you to be careful. The story those old guys told us is pretty questionable, but I do agree with you about this place seeming off." Nami whispered, picking the lock so quietly Sanji had to wonder how she did it.

"Don't worry about me, Nami-swan, but please be careful as well. I'll protect you at all costs!" He really would, too, because if something happened to Nami he would never forgive himself. He was confident in _all_ of their abilities, and yet that wasn't enough to reassure him that everything would be alright. This place was bad news, he just knew it.

"Thank you, Sanji." Nami smiled at him just as the lock clicked. She slowly opened the door, wincing as it creaked slightly, but other than that they got inside without any problems. The house was dark and eerily quiet, and there was a certain smell to it that had Sanji cringing. Like a library full of old, moldy books, and a hint of something metallic, almost like…

 _No_ , he wasn't going to think of that right now, because the house most certainly did _not_ smell like blood. The last thing he needed was that morbid thought on his mind.

They crept through the house, looking for anything that might lead to treasure and coming up empty. Until they reached a dark hallway with stairs at the end of it that lead to the basement.

Nami moved forward, but Sanji felt frozen in place, because _fuck_ if that didn't have his heart beating out of his chest. It felt as if the source of his ominous feeling was coming from that basement, the stairway so pitch black it practically _screamed_ death. Every fiber in his being was begging him to get the fuck out of there. The closer Nami got, the more he felt like something was going to reach out and pull her down into the darkness and he would never see her again.

" _Nami!_ " He whispered as quietly as possible, Nami spinning around with a start. She cocked her head to the side, furrowing her eyebrows when Sanji gestured that she come closer.

' _What?_ ' She mouthed, irritated by the interruption. Sanji suddenly felt too on edge, because Nami was still too close to the stairs and the feeling in his gut was getting stronger. He jerked his neck to the side, silently telling her that they needed to go back, but she wasn't having it.

She shook her head and moved to get closer, Sanji nearly reaching out to yank her back. But luckily (or maybe not so luckily) Robin's hands began tapping on their shoulders, alerting them that they needed to leave. He could see the way Nami wanted to curse at that moment, but instead they quickly ran back the way they came, closing the back door with a barely audible click and running towards the forest behind the house.

Luffy was waiting there for them, pouting at the fact that he didn't get to do anything fun. "Why do we have to leave now that they're here? I can totally fight all of them!"

"Not gonna happen, now let's get out of here and find the others." Sanji said, heart still hammering in his chest. The image of the darkened stairway was still fresh in his mind and wouldn't leave him alone. They needed to leave, get as far away from that house as possible. Thankfully, the others were waiting for them by the gate, keeping hidden in case someone decided to come back outside.

"So, did you find anything helpful in there?" Zoro asked as they ran back down the dirt path, hastily trying to get away and avoid being caught.

"We _almost_ did, except Sanji wanted to stop for some reason. Care to explain?" Nami asked, giving Sanji a rather displeased look.

"Forgive me my dear, but I did say I would protect you, and going down those stairs would prevent me from doing that. Whatever is down there..." Sanji trailed off, skin prickling from the memory. "It's not safe. We'll have to try again, but with a better plan."

In all actuality, Sanji didn't want to go near that house ever again, because never had he gotten a feeling of fear quite like that. But Nami wanted her treasure, and Sanji would be damned if she didn't get it. Besides, Strawhat pirates were strong. _He_ was strong. Whatever was down there, whatever those people might be capable of, was nothing they couldn't handle.

They would just have to try again.

* * *

 **Not sure how I feel about this, but it's a good start I guess. I've never really written something like this so it's a little...new to me. Hopefully it turns out well!**


	2. Chapter 2

They returned to the inn later that night, the two old men from earlier still sitting in the exact same spot as before.

"Well I'll be damned, y'all came back! But none of ya look like ya got any of that treasure..." One of the men said, looking at Nami in particular. She was in a sour mood, understandably. Sanji felt bad for her, wishing he could put a smile on her face, but at the same time...that place had been terrible. He didn't regret stopping her from going into the basement.

"We _could_ have gotten it, maybe, but they happened to get home before we could make any real progress." Nami avoided mentioning the fact that Sanji had _oh-so-kindly_ stopped her, although she did send him a little glare. "But we're going back as soon as we come up with a solid plan."

"Shit, y'all pirates are somethin else. Yer lucky to have made it out of there once, and y'all wanna go back?" The other man shook his head in disbelief, but grinned nonetheless. "Heh, I got faith in you lot. Y'all seem to know a thing or two about getting what ya want."

"Damn right." Nami muttered, sitting on the small sofa next to the two chairs being occupied by the men. "By the way, I don't think we ever introduced ourselves. You two gave us some valuable information, but I don't even know your names."

"Well, my names Lenard, and that's Daryl. Y'all are some strange pirates, being polite and whatnot. We heard of Trafalgar over there, but none of y'all seem familiar..." Lenard trailed off, giving Luffy a quick once-over to make sure he didn't recognize him.

"I'm Strawhat Luffy, and I'm gonna be King of the Pirates someday!" Luffy declared with his usual grin. The word 'Strawhat' seemed to jog the two's memory.

"Well fuck me, we got the Strawhats _and_ Trafalgar Law on our little shithole island! I knew I seen ya somewhere, kid!" Lenard barked a laugh, directing his gaze back to Nami.

"So then yer Cat Burglar Nami I take it?" He asked, Nami nodding in agreement. "Well, no wonder ya want the treasure so bad. If anyone can get to it, it'll be y'all. Just be careful, those bastards are sick."

"Is there anything you can tell us about them? Any information would be appreciated. We're not too sure what we're dealing with." Sanji asked, hoping the two knew something, _anything_ about those people. They would be going back to that house, and Sanji hated knowing that, but having information would make him feel marginally better about the whole thing.

"Well, they've been holed up in that house for about a year now. Came in one day on a real piece of shit ship. Didn't say nothin to nobody, just went walking into the woods like a bunch of weirdos, carrying a whole bunch of chests." Lenard began, looking a little angered at the memory. "Don't know how they knew where to go. They just wandered right into the woods and moved into the old farmhouse..."

"That place was a farmhouse?" Sanji asked. It looked like it belonged to someone with a lot of money, not some farmer.

"Oh yeah, until old man Dorian kicked the bucket a few years back. There's a barn, if ya follow the path in the back. Always did find it strange that they knew the place was there..."

"Didn't ya hear the rumor about that? One of them knew Dorian, supposedly it was his grandson. He inherited the farm, though I know for damn sure he ain't doin any farming." Daryl said. Sanji realized there was more to the story than he'd originally thought.

"Well I'll be. Makes sense, I guess. Anywho, one day they came into town, looking to buy food and whatnot. Except, they weren't willing to pay. So, the lady who owned the shop kicked 'em out. Her name was Carol." Lenard continued, and suddenly Sanji had a bad feeling again. Lenard looked a little too somber for his liking.

"What do you mean...'was'?" Nami asked, looking concerned.

"She went missin the next day. Never saw her again. Now of course, this pissed all of us townsfolk off. We burned their ship, some people even went to their house to try and kill them. Never saw them again either. After that, we...kept our distance. They ain't been back here ever since." Daryl said, something haunted in his gaze. Sanji had hoped learning more would make him feel better, but that sure as hell didn't work.

"How scary...these people really are twisted." Usopp gulped, face white. "Should we really be messing with them?"

"Y'all are the only ones who stand a chance. Other pirates have come here and caught wind of the treasure and disappeared just like everyone else, but y'all are different. Stronger, for sure. I don't think we'll be tearing up yer ship for wood like the others." Sanji knew Daryl was right. They _were_ stronger, and this wasn't something they couldn't handle. But for some reason...he had doubts.

"You can't tear apart the Thousand Sunny!" Franky yelled in horror, appalled at the mere idea.

"Then I guess y'all better not die, heh! Gotta think of a plan now, don'tcha?"

"We need to _eat_! Come on, let's go eat something, please!" Luffy begged, appetite strong as ever. Sanji didn't even want to think about eating right now, not with his nerves so frayed.

"Oh fine, but we need to discuss our options too. I want to go back tomorrow, and we need a plan before then." Nami relented, suggesting that they go to the restaurant across from the inn for dinner. Sanji followed them, eyes becoming fixed on Law who stayed off to the side, being extraordinarily quiet. Sanji wondered if he was annoyed. After all, they were supposed to be on their way to Dressrosa. Nami had said they wouldn't stop for long, but that didn't seem to be working out so well.

Law had been interesting to Sanji the moment the alliance had been made. There was something about him...Sanji still had no idea what it was. He'd kept a close eye on the man from the beginning, observing him from a distance. He was usually pretty good at reading people, but for some reason Law was different.

He supposed he should find his fascination with Law odd. He did, in a way, but he had no plans to stop. Law was just a mystery to him, and Sanji felt compelled to figure him out.

* * *

After ordering food, they began devising a plan for tomorrow. Nami wanted to return at night, as darkness gave them an advantage. Not to mention that the people might be gone again. Robin would have to be on look-out duty again as her powers were the best for that. Zoro was in charge of helping her since he would likely get lost doing anything else, and they couldn't afford that this time.

"I'm going inside, obviously. I know exactly where to go this time." Nami's eyes were fixed onto Sanji immediately, the cook gulping at the sudden intensity. But then the image of Nami getting dragged down into the basement forced itself into his head, and he realized why she was giving him that look.

"Nami-swan, please, I know you want the treasure but..." Sanji trailed off as Nami held up her index finger, shutting him up just like that.

"But nothing. I'm going in alone."

"No." Luffy was serious all of a sudden, saying what Sanji had nearly screamed. Nami could _not_ go into that house alone. She started to protest, but Luffy cut her off. "If they aren't home, _maybe_ , but I don't want you in there alone with them. Not without me or Sanji there to help you in case something happens."

"We need to know whether or not they'll be there." Zoro said, frowning in thought. "Or come up with two plans. I mean, if they aren't home again it'll be easy."

"We'll scope everything out before anything. If it looks like they aren't home, I'm going in alone." Nami repeated. Sanji ground his teeth together, hating the idea of Nami going in alone but not wanting to argue with her.

"Take Torao." Luffy said, ignoring the angry glare he got from the other captain. "I'm not the best at being quiet, but I know he is."

"Nami-swan, I know what happened before made you angry, but I had to protect you." Sanji said, hoping Nami would at least choose him over _Law_. Then again, the guy was pretty quiet…

"From what, Sanji? We don't even know what's down there yet. I can't have you stopping me just because something _feels_ off." Nami sighed, shaking her head and running a hand through her hair. "I'll take both you and Law. But I want him coming with me to the basement. You get to search upstairs, if we have that chance."

"And if we don't?" Zoro asked, "If they _are_ home, what are we going to do?"

"Watch them." Robin said, sipping her tea before continuing. "We need to learn their schedule, their habits, what they look like. We still don't know how many live there. So if they happen to be home, or at least the majority of them, we should take advantage of that and observe them."

"Eh..why do you seem so knowledgeable about this, Robin?" Usopp chuckled nervously, gulping when Robin merely smiled at him.

"I wanted to look in the barn, too. Luffy, Franky, and Usopp can do that. Robin, Zoro, Brook and Chopper have to guard the perimeter. Sanji, Law and I will be inside...this might actually work this time. Assuming they aren't home..." Nami trailed off as their food came, all of them being as loud as normal while they ate. Sanji waited while they ate, mulling things over in his head. Having Law to help protect Nami _would_ make him feel better, if he knew anything about the guy. He still didn't fully trust Law, either.

But sooner or later he would have to.

* * *

Sharing rooms at the inn was a pain. The place wasn't exactly big, meaning the rooms were limited on size. With ten of them, it took five rooms. The girls stayed together, of course, and the men were left to fend for themselves. Sanji smoked outside, listening to his crew mates push each other out of the way as they tried to find the best room. He didn't care what room he got. They were all the same, anyways, and he didn't care who stayed with him.

Once it seemed like everyone had gotten situated, he crushed his used up cigarette under his shoe and went back inside. He walked down the hallway where all of their rooms were, stopping at the only door still open.

Whatever he was expecting, it wasn't to find a familiar looking sword resting on one of the small beds, claiming it for its owner. The last person he would have thought of was Law, and for some reason it made him wary.

He shrugged off his suit jacket, placing it next to the only remaining bed in the room. Space was limited. He would be awfully close to the other captain while he slept, not that he thought Law would try to kill him or anything. Law really hadn't done anything to him. Sanji wasn't sure why he was being so paranoid.

"Oh, thank god." Law's voice nearly startled him. He turned to see the man pull his hat off, setting it next to his sword with a look of relief. "I wasn't sure who I would get. Thankfully it's just you."

Sanji was...oddly flattered to hear that. "Just me, huh? What makes me so preferable? I snore, you know."

"Snoring is the least of my concerns. If I had gotten your captain, I would have returned to your ship." Sanji wanted to laugh, because he could just see Law's face at two in the morning trying to cope with Luffy talking in his sleep.

"Oh come on, he's not that bad. Although he does make a lot of noise when he sleeps."

"And when he's awake." Sanji did laugh at that, any previous tension dissipating. Law was actually the best roommate he could have gotten.

"Well, consider yourself lucky then. The only annoying thing I do is get up to smoke every hour, but that's only if I can't sleep." Sanji removed his tie, kicking off his shoes and pausing. He didn't really want to sleep in his suit, but the idea of changing in front of Law made him uncomfortable, although he couldn't imagine why.

He really needed to get over whatever his hangup was with Law.

"I think I can handle that much." Law replied, pulling his feathered sweatshirt over his head and letting it fall to the floor. Sanji's eyes caught a flash of the tattoos covering Law's chest before he politely looked away, unbuttoning his shirt before slipping under the covers. From there he removed his pants, distracted by the movement in the corner of his eye.

He glanced over at Law for a quick second, although his gaze lingered when he realized Law was removing his pants, practically peeling the tight fabric from his legs. He didn't expect Law to be _shy_ or anything, but for some reason it took him off-guard.

Maybe rooming with Law wasn't a good idea. Everything about the man was distracting to Sanji, and it was starting to piss him off. He wanted to figure Law out already. But even with his haki, he couldn't read Law even a little.

Sanji liked knowing things about people. It gave him a sense of security, especially in the presence of potential enemies. If he could just get something from Law, maybe he could relax a little.

He finally managed to stop staring at Law, eyes suddenly drawn to the mans hat. The spots were familiar to him. He'd noticed the ones one Law's pants, too, and he recognized the mans fashion sense.

"So, you're from the North Blue I take it?" He asked, hoping Law would at least tell him that much. The man didn't seem like the type to talk about his life, especially to people he barely knew.

Law looked surprised for a quick second before covering it with a smirk. "What gave it away?"

"You've got spots on damn near everything you wear. I knew I recognized them from somewhere." Sanji felt a little better knowing they came from the same place. It was better than nothing.

"How perceptive of you to notice." Law's smirk grew, something in his eyes making Sanji feel transparent. It was almost like Law knew exactly what he was trying to do. "So, you're from there as well?"

"I was born there, yeah. Didn't really stay for too long though." Sanji shrugged, not particularly wanting to talk about his childhood. Luckily Law didn't press any further, but Sanji could feel eyes on him as he tried getting comfortable.

There was a bang from across the hall, followed by a distinct _'shishishi'_ , and he almost started laughing at the sound of disbelief and annoyance Law made. Sanji was thankful for the distraction, since he couldn't feel Law staring a hole into his head anymore.

"Honestly, I have to wonder how you keep your sanity living with him." Law grumbled, and Sanji could hear him getting into bed.

Sanji did laugh that time, sometimes asking himself the same question. "Ah, I guess I'm used to it. You might want to consider doing the same, since you're stuck with us now."

"I don't know about _that_. Once the alliance is over—"

"You'll still be stuck with us, trust me. Once Luffy says he likes you, you're pretty much screwed. We warned you from the beginning that his idea of alliances were different than yours. He'll find a way to see you again." Sanji almost felt bad for Law, but it was the truth. Luffy wouldn't let him off that easy.

Law sighed, knowing Sanji was probably right. "What a pain."

"You allied with him."

* * *

The next day was uneventful, for the most part. They spent the day running errands and exploring the island, not that there was much to explore. Nami seemed a bit jittery, most likely due to her excitement over the prospect of treasure. Sanji just hoped they could get it tonight and get as far away from that house as possible. Just knowing what the night would be like made Sanji antsy.

It grated on him for the majority of the day, until finally he couldn't take it anymore. With his mind being so obsessed with what could be in that basement, and so preoccupied with _Law_ of all people, he was beyond stressed out.

But Law was going to be with Nami, _if_ they got to enter the house again. Her life would be in his hands. The fact that those same hands literally said 'death' wasn't fucking helping him, either, but he had to make sure Law knew how important it was to protect her. He made sure to let the man know while they were walking back into the forest.

"Stay close to her down stairs. I don't know what the fuck is down there, but it feels..." Sanji trailed off, not really knowing how to put the feeling into words. Nobody else seemed to feel it as much as he did, for whatever reason. "Just protect her or I'll kick your fucking skull in."

"Rest assured, Mr. Blackleg, I won't let anything happen. Despite my...dissatisfaction for being here, you all are doing me an incredible favor by helping me defeat Kaido, as well as Doflamingo. I'll treat her life as if she were my own navigator." Law looked unimpressed by Sanji's threat, but still, he was being sincere.

"You'd better. I'm not the only one who would kill you." Sanji sighed, knowing they were almost there. "If something goes wrong, get her out of there immediately."

"I can easily teleport her a safe distance away from the house using my fruits ability. She'll be fine, Mr. Blackleg." Sanji had completely forgotten that Law _had_ that power, but fuck it made him feel so much better. He was suddenly glad Nami chose Law over him.

They turned the corner and were faced once again with the large iron gate. Sanji stubbed out his cigarette, nerves on fire all over again. They peered through the gate, only to find the house completely lit up from inside.

They were home.

"Hm, stakeout it is." Robin smiled while Nami fumed, picking the lock yet again. Sanji was relieved. He wanted more information about these people, especially what times they left the house.

"Fine, but I still want to see the barn too. Let's split up and cover more ground. Luffy, Franky, Usopp, you know where to go. Everyone else can spread out, and make sure to stay hidden." Nami said, opening the gate and letting everyone in. She closed it behind her, glaring at the house and cursing the inhabitants.

At this rate, she would never get her treasure.

* * *

 **So kind of a boring chapter, nothing really happening yet. Things should get interesting in the next one, if I could just figure out how I'm going to write it. This chapter was hard enough, I think my brain is melting.**


	3. Chapter 3

The stakeout wasn't going as well as they would have liked. They were spread out, staying close to the brick wall surrounding the house and hiding in the bushes that littered the perimeter. It had been _hours_ , and so far they still had no information. Nobody came out of the house, but after a while a few of the lights from inside flicked off. At that point Robin sprouted hands inside of the house, an eye in the center of each one. There were four of them, from what she could see, all male. With the men sleeping, she couldn't really gather anything else.

Nami asked if she could see into the basement. Robin tried, but it was too dark to make anything out.

It was getting late, and it didn't look like they would be getting any information. That is, until Luffy came sprinting from the direction of the barn, a large grin on his face. Seeing him run across the backyard caught everyone's attention, and they all gathered to where he and Nami were, wondering what had their captain so excited this time.

"There's people in the barn! We heard them talking, but it was hard to hear. We need Robin!" he said, grabbing the archeologist and running off with her. Sanji wanted to follow, but Nami told all of them to spread out again and keep watching. If all of them kept moving around so much, they might get spotted.

The longer they waited, the more paranoid Sanji got. Why would anyone be in the barn? What were they talking about? Would Luffy be able to stay hidden, or would their cover be blown? He was tired of having so many questions and no answers.

But then, _finally_ , someone emerged from the backdoor of the house. It was a man, from what Sanji could make out, dressed in a rather well tailored suit. He was short and extremely thin, with a sharp looking nose that stuck out a little too much. He looked...creepy, and gave Sanji all sorts of bad vibes.

And he was making his way towards the barn.

" _Shit_." he whispered, knowing if any of them moved they would be seen. He just hoped the others had a good hiding place. If only there was some way to signal them that someone was coming.

He saw a sudden sphere of translucent blue appear in his peripheral vision, eyes snapping over to where Law was crouched down. The man locked eyes with him, nodding once before suddenly vanishing. Sanji sighed in relief, glad that Law knew what to do. He'd teleported himself to wherever Robin and the others were hiding, or at least in that general area. Sanji wasn't entirely sure how his powers worked, but as long as he warned them it didn't matter. They couldn't afford to get caught.

Especially by that man. Whoever he was, Sanji had a feeling he was important.

* * *

As soon as he disappeared into the forest, Nami came rushing over to him. "Where did Law go? He could have been seen!" She whispered harshly, ticked that Law would take that risk.

"It was necessary. He went to warn the others about that guy. Nami-san, we have to follow him. Something important is going on in that barn." Sanji replied, eyes never leaving the spot where the man had vanished.

"He's important, I know, but if we follow him we risk being seen. I'm curious about the barn, but I know the treasure is in that house. Let Law help them, we have to trust him as an ally." Nami responded sternly, clapping him on the shoulder before quietly making her way back to her own hiding spot. Sanji sighed, knowing she was right. But he had a bad feeling about that guy, and whatever was going on in the barn. His eyes never left the forest, waiting for the man to return. He had no idea what time it was, but it was definitely too late to be going into a barn.

He just hoped the others would give them all the information they needed.

* * *

Law had teleported himself to the general area Luffy had ran off with Robin, knowing he needed to warn them about whoever that man was. He found them huddled together not far from the barn, Robin using her ability to see what was happening inside. His sudden presence had nearly given Usopp a heart attack, but he warned them just in time. They moved farther back into the trees just as the mysterious man emerged from the shadows, opening the barn doors and then shutting them. From this distance, they couldn't hear anything, but Robin took care of that.

"There's three of them, they're talking about the prey that they caught yesterday. There's a boar strung up by it's hind legs that has already been gutted. They seem to be saving the organs for some reason." Robin said, eyes shut in concentration.

"Ugh, Robin please, we don't need _all_ the details." Usopp muttered, shuddering at the imagery. Robin merely chuckled, but then a gasp startled all of them. Robin's eyes shot open as she covered her mouth in shock.

"There's a woman in there, shackled to the floor. She's covered in blood and looks like she hasn't eaten in months. They're laughing at her, kicking the bucket of organs over to her... _oh_ , that's terrible..." Robin trailed off, and Luffy nearly lost it then, because if these people were keeping hostages…

"They've been starving her, giving her only the innards of whatever prey they catch. The man in the suit is doing something to her, but I can't quite tell what...she's trying to back away, but he's touching her forehead...what..?" Robin looked confused, pausing as she tried to figure out what exactly was going on. There was a sudden scream then, and Robin jolted back.

"That man did something to her, but I don't know what...she seems terrified. They're leaving now, but she's still trying to move away from something...what did he do to her?" Robin wondered aloud, quieting as the three men emerged from the barn. One of them was carrying the boars body over his shoulder, laughing at something the man in the suit said.

"Whoever he is, he's definitely the leader. He has some sort of power, but more importantly, he's keeping that woman hostage. We have to let the others know about this immediately." Robin said, her hand from inside the barn vanishing.

"We have to get her out of there!" Luffy growled, a furious expression on his face. "There's no one around now, we have to do something!"

"But Luffy, she's probably scared. If we try to break her out, she might make too much noise." Usopp said, although the sniper wanted just as badly to help the woman out.

"He's right. Whatever they're doing to her, it's very traumatizing. If we go near her right now she's likely to make enough noise to draw attention. But we can't just leave her here..." Robin trailed off, wondering if they should leave her for another night or not. The idea didn't sit well with any of them, and it was Law who spoke first.

"I can easily transport myself in there and attempt to free her, but I can't guarantee she'll be quiet. However, seeing a multitude of strangers is likely to make her even more terrified. Only one of us should go inside. Although...they _will_ notice that she's gone, and we might not be able to get inside the house if that happens."

"You're right. They'll know someone is trying to get the treasure, and we might not get any more chances to get to it. I hate to say this...but we may have to leave her for now." Robin said, not liking that fact but knowing the treasure came first. They were pirates, not heroes.

"But we can't just leave her forever!" Usopp cried, looking mortified by the mere thought. Luffy nodded in agreement, eyes fixed on the barn.

"We won't. Nami will have a chance to get inside and find the treasure eventually, and while she's doing that we'll focus on freeing this girl. For now...she'll have to wait. I don't like it, but we don't have a choice. But we need to tell the others."

"Right," they all nodded in agreement, quickly returning to the backyard of the house to regroup with everyone else.

* * *

Sanji's eyes narrowed as three men returned from the barn with a dead boar. The men were talking about something, but from his distance Sanji couldn't hear much. Just that the boar looked ready to butcher and would be delicious. The men returned to the house, and minutes later Luffy and the others ran over to Nami, all of them looking too serious for Sanji's liking. He watched as they told Nami something, the navigator's face going pale as she covered her mouth. Sanji was about to run over to see what happened when a hand sprouted on his shoulder, as well as everyone else's who was still hiding.

That was the signal that indicated it was time to leave. They ran back to the front gates, waiting until Nami unlocked it again before saying anything.

"We have a problem," Luffy said as Nami relocked the iron gate, looking far too serious for comfort. The next words out of his mouth had Sanji's entire body feeling cold. "They have a hostage in the barn. It's a woman, and it looks like they've been keeping her locked in there for a long time. We can't free her until we have the treasure."

"We can't _leave_ her there!" Sanji nearly shouted, appalled that Luffy hadn't rescued her while he had the chance. The fact that an innocent woman was being tortured by these people had Sanji seething. He couldn't even imagine what they had been doing to her, and it set his nerves on fire.

"Sanji, if we save her now they'll know someone has been watching them. They'll never let their guard down for us to sneak in. But as soon as we get the chance, we'll get her out of there. I know it's awful..." Nami said, still looking shocked by the news as they traversed back into town.

"Are we really putting treasure above someone's life?" he growled. The treasure was important to Nami, and therefore it was important to all of them, but leaving a defenseless woman at the mercy of people like _that_ was so wrong.

"I'm not going to let them get away with this," Luffy said, fists clenched at his side. "We aren't just going to take their treasure. I'm going to make sure they never do anything like this again! We're going to destroy that house, and anyone in it!"

"Damn right," Zoro nodded, looking just as pissed off as Luffy.

"When we get inside, Luffy is going to get her somewhere safe. I'm going to focus on getting the treasure as far away from them as possible. While I'm doing that, you're all free to fight them as much as you want," Nami told him, and while it didn't calm him down any, at least he knew they wouldn't just let those people get away with this.

"We're coming back tomorrow at sunset. I don't know how long it will take for us to get inside, it might not happen for a few days...but we _will_ save her."

* * *

They returned to the inn late, not a single person awake. They would have to tell the old men about the woman tomorrow. Sanji couldn't sleep knowing a woman was scared out of her mind, locked up in a barn. He stayed out on the rooms balcony, chain smoking and grinding his teeth. From what Robin had told them, the girl was starving, and whatever the strange man had done to her was traumatizing. He had some sort of power, but Sanji couldn't imagine what it was. He didn't care, he just wanted to kick the bastards skull in.

"You'll be no good to anyone if you don't sleep, Mr. Blackleg." Law said, standing in the doorway behind Sanji.

"How am I supposed to sleep? Who knows what else they've done to her. Screw waiting, I'd rather we just break into their house now. They're outnumbered, we can definitely beat them." Sanji really wasn't sure _why_ they were waiting now, because really, they were strong enough to handle a few creeps.

"I agree with you, however we aren't sure what they are capable of yet. We know their leader has some sort of power. He could be stronger than he looks." Law had a good point, but still, one man with power didn't compare to all of them.

"So you'd rather we continue waiting? I thought you wanted to get to Dressrosa." He could feel Law tense at that, but he wasn't wrong. Law was the one who didn't want to stop in the first place. "With your power, we could have this done in an instant."

"You're putting an awful amount of faith in me, given the fact that you don't know a thing about me," Law said, something in his tone causing Sanji to turn and face the man with narrowed eyes.

"And just what does that mean? Are you saying I shouldn't trust you?" he growled, wondering what Law was trying to imply.

"Do you? Because from what I've seen, I make you uneasy. You're uncertain about my motives. Not that I can blame you, I'm not someone many people want to believe in. You're smart, Mr. Blackleg, perhaps too smart. But you let your emotions get the best of you." Law was scrutinizing him, and it was incredibly unnerving, because Sanji had been trying to figure the man out for _so_ long. But Law seemed to be able to read him much easier.

"What the fuck are you getting at, Trafalgar? Are you an ally or not?" He was ready to attack Law at any moment, but the man waved a hand in dismissal, irritating Sanji even more.

"I am for now. I can't promise anything after Kaido is defeated, however. Just know that I've been just as observant of all of you as you have been of me. Now I suggest you get some sleep, we can't have you this touchy tomorrow." Law smirked at him, and Sanji nearly kicked the man in the face, but decided to let it go. Law was becoming an increasingly bigger distraction for Sanji.

He had a feeling he'd missed something in their conversation, but Law was too cryptic for his rattled brain to handle. He decided to just keep a close eye on the Warlord, not that he hadn't been doing that already.

And apparently Law had been doing the same to him.

* * *

"They got Carol?!" Daryl shrieked the next day, gaining the attention of everyone in the inn's lobby.

"How do you know it's her? I thought they killed her." Nami asked, surprised at the sudden change in the two men's attitude.

"It's gotta be her! Ya said her hair was gray, right? Real short?" He asked Robin, the archeologist nodding. "There's nobody else it could be. They've had Carol all this time...ya gotta save her! Carol's an angel, she don't deserve torture!"

"But why would they keep her, and nobody else?" Luffy asked, knowing other people had gone missing. That could only mean that they had been murdered.

"They gotta be usin her for somethin. Ya said they had a boar…Carol's good at guttin animals. It was part of her job, back when she worked at the store. But she wouldn't let those bastards steal any food...that's gotta be why they took her. To think she's alive...ya have to bring her back right away!" Daryl seemed frantic, and Sanji couldn't help but wonder what his relationship was with Carol. But it didn't matter, because they had to save her.

"We'll go back before sunset then. We can't wait for the house to be empty." Nami said, the others nodding in agreement. "We'll have to create a distraction though, so I can at least get into the house. The plan needs to be tweaked a little, but everything's going to happen tonight. We'll bring her back safe, I promise." She nodded solemnly at the two, and Sanji felt relieved, because he really couldn't wait any longer.

He still had a bad feeling about the basement, but that didn't matter anymore. They had to act now, no matter what.

* * *

 **Still no lawsan, but that should be coming up in the next few chapters. Things are going to take a few unexpected turns, so get ready for that as well. Slowburn is so hard to write ^^ Also, updates might be a bit slower, as school is taking up all of my free time. Not to mention that I've been sick for weeks now, so I'm lacking in the energy department. Bare with me though, I'll try to start the next chapter soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Just a warning for anyone sensitive to gore and the like, you may want to proceed with caution.**

* * *

They returned at sunset with a new plan. Whether or not it would work had yet to be seen, but it was all they had. Waiting any longer wouldn't do, not with an innocent woman being held hostage. Sanji was ready. He would be going inside with Nami and Law to retrieve the treasure. If anything went wrong, Law would get Nami out of there and as far away as his powers would allow. Then it would be up to both of them to fight whoever happened to cross their path.

Luffy would still be in charge of rescuing the woman and fighting whoever tried to stop them, which someone undoubtedly would. That was part of the plan, after all. Once the distraction was created, the inhabitants of the house would be drawn towards the barn. Nami would have limited time to find the treasure before someone figured out what they were up to.

Sanji just hoped they could get this done fast. He wanted that woman returned to where she belonged and away from these sick bastards, who they would beat senseless immediately. Plus, despite the severity of the situation, he still couldn't shake his ominous feeling about the basement. He would have to face it soon, and while he was ready, he still felt like something was wrong. It was stupid, and he was tired of it.

But whatever was down there...well, he couldn't think about that now.

"Alright Usopp, remember the plan. Once you get to the barn with Luffy and the others, it's your job to create a big enough distraction to get them away from the house. You said you could do it, remember?" Nami asked the shaking Usopp, who had indeed promised he could make an adequate distraction with his sniper skills. Now, though, he was reverting back to his cowardly tendencies.

"Y-Yeah, right, I can do it. As long as Luffy fights them." he replied, looking to Luffy for confirmation. Their captain nodded, cracking his knuckles in anticipation.

"I'll fight all of them. They'll regret everything they've done by the time I'm finished." he declared, a rare, serious expression on his face.

"Good. Robin and Brook, you two are in charge of guarding the perimeter. If anyone realizes that we're going for the treasure and comes back, you have to let me know and try to fight them off. If I need backup inside, I'll let you know somehow. Everyone else, just try to keep them busy when they get to the barn. I'll need all the time I can get." Nami was focused, as per usual when it came to treasure. Everyone seemed to understand the plan well enough, it was rather simple, although some of them (Usopp and Chopper) looked ready to bolt.

"B-But why am _I_ going to the barn? It sounds so scary..." the doctor asked, Usopp nodding in agreement despite his bravado hours earlier.

"Chopper, you're a _doctor_. You'll need to help the woman. We don't know what kind of condition she's in, and since Law's coming with me, you'll have to help her." Nami reminded him, clearing away some of his fear with that fact. With someone's life at stake, he couldn't back down.

"If everyone's ready, it's time to split up. Just stick to the plan and everything should run smoothly."

* * *

But of course, 'sticking to the plan' never really worked out for them. Usopp had used as many of his flashy techniques as possible, from flash bombs to fiery rockets, and what seemed to be fire works although it was still a little too bright out for them to be completely visible.

The flash bombs had probably been enough. As soon as bright lights began going off in the distance, all seven men came running from inside of the house. But then Usopp just _had_ to fire off a rocket, and soon large smoke clouds started billowing up towards the sky. A _fire_ wasn't part of the plan. Still, Nami hoped it would create an extra distraction and quickly entered the house.

Returning during daylight should have made Sanji feel a little more assured since it wasn't nearly as creepy, but he couldn't relax no matter how hard he tried. Something about the place just didn't sit right with him.

Nami went straight for the basement, much to Sanji's dismay. Despite the amount of sunlight permeating into the house, the stairway that led to the basement remained pitch black. He could see a little ways down, but that only served to make him feel even more jittery. Why the hell did it have to be so dark down there?

Thankfully Law went down first. If Nami would have rushed down there without one of them protecting her, Sanji would have lost it. But she followed closely behind him, looking past his tall frame in an attempt to see what was down there. It was too dark to see anything, of course, and it raised an important question. How were they going to find anything in the dark? Surely there was a light switch somewhere, but they didn't have time to blindly grope the walls.

The darkness was just the beginning of their problems. The smell was the next thing that set Sanji off, because something that putrid could only mean one thing. Blood and decay was definitely not welcoming, and Sanji had to gather all of his will-power to keep from dragging Nami out of there. This wasn't somewhere they needed to be. These people were sick, more so than anyone they've ever dealt with.

And why would treasure be somewhere like this, anyways? Something wasn't adding up, the ominous feeling so intense Sanji could swear his skin was crawling. Whatever went on in the basement wasn't something they needed to know about.

And yet he could hear Nami searching for the light switch, her determination astounding. She was gagging, wondering what the hell she kept touching because it was slimy and cold, but all Sanji could focus on at that point was the suffocating darkness. He couldn't see a thing. It felt like he was being swallowed up, nerves so frayed he couldn't bring himself to move. He was jumpy, every little sound ringing through his ears and making his heart pound.

"Wait, maybe this can create some light..." Nami muttered, voice muffled behind her hand that was feebly trying to block the smell from reaching her nose. Sanji heard the metal of her Clima-tact, and then suddenly there was thunder and sparks of lightning that illuminated the room for the briefest of seconds.

It was the most horrifying thing Sanji had ever seen.

With every flash of lightning his eyes witnessed pieces of the room, and he would have ran if his legs worked. Nami's scream registered somewhere in his brain, somewhere that hadn't shut down yet, his instincts screaming at him to run, get the fuck out of there and get Nami away. But he was pretty sure his heart had stopped working. He couldn't feel it anymore, or hear it. All he could focus on was the sudden bursts of light that revealed the hideousness he so desperately wanted to stay away from.

Human remains strung up on the walls and ceiling, jars of various organs sitting on blood stained counters, blood _everywhere_. The room may have been used for butchering farm animals once, when someone sane lived there, but these people had clearly been using it for humans as well. The boar from last night lay on a large metal table in the center of the room, a butchering knife next to it.

Yet no treasure.

They had come down here for _nothing_.

Law was the first one to react after several minutes of agony, grabbing both Nami and Sanji by the arm and yanking them back towards the stairs. The action was enough to jerk Sanji out of his state of shock, his legs carrying him up the stairs so fast he wondered if he'd used sky walk. His mind was screaming at him to get as far away from the house as possible, to get back on the ship and leave the island behind. But even then, he could never un-see what was down there.

But Law kept a firm grip on him, standing in the middle of the living room and looking far too calm for Sanji's liking. He looked shocked, sure, and definitely disgusted. But of the three of them, he was the most calm, and seemed ready to stay inside the house longer. Even Nami wanted to leave, pulling back and trying to escape from his grip.

"We've gotten this far," Law suddenly said, voice barely above a whisper. Both Sanji and Nami stilled, though they still wanted to leave. "If we leave now all of _that_...will have been for nothing. We've gotten this far. There's still plenty of other places to check, and we don't have time."

"I can't...not after that...it's not worth it anymore!" Nami whispered in a broken voice, face pale as she struggled to get air into her lungs. "We have to find Luffy...he's _fighting_ these people!"

"Have faith in your captain. You trust him, don't you?" Law asked her, gripping her arm tighter when she hesitated. Sanji nearly kicked him across the room for handling her so roughly when she was obviously terrified, but surprisingly, it seemed to be calming her down.

"I do...but I was sure the treasure would be down there. What if...what if they don't even have treasure?" she asked, looking up at Law with wide eyes. Sanji had the same question.

"We won't know that until we check the entire house. But they could come back any second. Do you really want to waste your last chance?" Law asked her, although Sanji knew he was asking more than that. They wouldn't have just wasted their last chance, they would have wasted _time_ , time that could have been spent sailing to Dressrosa. Plus, everything they had just seen would be for nothing if they didn't walk away with treasure.

Nami knew all of that, too, because she suddenly looked more determined. "No, you're right. We need to check upstairs now. We need to hurry...we've wasted enough time."

"Let's go then. Mr. Blackleg, it would be best if you searched the remaining rooms on this floor. I must remain with your navigator in case her safety becomes compromised," Law looked over to him then, and Sanji finally felt his mouth begin to create proper syllables after some of the shock wore off.

"Just fucking hurry, and keep her safe. I'll do what I can down here," he managed to say, although the idea of being alone after seeing all of that made him feel worse. Still, they had a job to do. He needed to hold it together for a little while longer.

Law nodded at him, leading the way upstairs and leaving Sanji by himself. He gulped nervously, wondering where he should even start, and quickly began searching the nearest room he could find. He just hoped they found the treasure soon, because something told him they were running out of time.

* * *

"You started a _fire_?!" Luffy screeched, eyes bugging as he watched the trees burst into flames. Usopp was busy panicking, trying to put out the fire in vain.

"That's one way to create a _super_ distraction!" Franky remarked, not seeming to care that they could potentially burn the entire island down.

"Just keep it away from the barn! I'm trying not to scare her and you're ruining it!" Chopper yelled. He had already gone inside of the barn to save the woman, his small and cute form being less terrifying than his crew mates. She was too weak to walk, however. He hadn't been in there long when the forest caught on fire, but the woman seemed to trust him.

He returned to the woman's side, sighing as he looked at the shackles keeping her trapped. "I'm going to do something, but try not to be alarmed okay? I'm going to look different in a few seconds."

"D-Different how? What are you going to do to me?" she asked hesitantly, eyes widening as Chopper suddenly transformed, using his heavy point to break the shackles. "What _are_ you?!"

"I'm going to take you back to the village, I promise. We're here to save you," he told her, amazed that she was able to stay conscious. After giving her a quick exam, he realized just how malnourished she really was. With everything she had been through, Chopper was sure a giant human-reindeer hybrid would scare her enough to make her faint. But she was resilient, and the idea of going with him seemed to cheer her up.

"Tell me this isn't another one of his illusions...tell me it's _real_ this time!" she said, eyes staring off somewhere Chopper couldn't see. He didn't know what she meant by that, but he needed to get her away from the barn before anyone showed up. He scooped her up into his arms, careful not to jostle her too much as he ran back outside where the others were still freaking out about the fire.

"I'm going back to the village to treat her. You guys handle this and come find me as soon as possible!" Chopper told them, running into the forest away from the house. He would have to find a different path that led to town. Going towards the house would get both of them caught.

"They should be here by now, shouldn't they? You'd think they would see the smoke." Zoro asked, perking up as he heard several footsteps rushing towards them. His hand gripped his swords, ready for anything that might happen. However, he wasn't expecting seven people. There were only four of them now, and they still had no idea how strong these people were.

Not that it really mattered, because he could take on anything.

"What the hell...boss, the barn!" One of them said, a lanky man with most of his hair covering his face. How he could see anything was a mystery, but by the looks of it, all seven of them looked a bit...odd.

Luffy's eyes were fixed on the man from last night, already running towards them with his fist inflated. "Get out of my way!" he yelled, punching the man with shaggy hair straight in the face. The force sent him flying into a tree, and he wouldn't be getting back up anytime soon.

"Hmph, that was fast. Maybe these guys aren't so tough after all," Zoro smirked, drawing Wado and approaching another man, this one chunkier than the rest. He was pale, abnormally so, with hair that nearly matched his skin color. The only reason Zoro chose him to fight was that he carried a large, peculiar sized cleaver with him. "Although it would be funner if they were a challenge."

"She's gone, boss. What should we do to them?" the pale man asked, pointing his cleaver at Zoro with a deranged look in his eyes.

"Whatever you please. We can retrieved the woman again, and perhaps some new test subjects later. For now I must check on _it_. There are likely more of them, and by now they have stumbled across our special room," the man in the suit said, regarding Luffy with one last look before turning to leave. Luffy however wasn't about to let him walk away, not with Nami still inside the house. Whoever this guy was, he gave Luffy a bad feeling.

"You're not going anywhere!" he yelled, running after the man with clenched fists.

It was then that something unusual happened. The man turned slowly, one hand reaching out towards Luffy who stopped in confusion. The others watched as the man seemed to vanish, reappearing mere inches from Luffy with one finger touching his forehead.

"He's fast!" Usopp cried, wondering what the hell was going on.

Luffy lurched back, hands covering the spot the man had touched. Their captain seemed frozen in place, staring at the man in confusion and mild shock until suddenly his body jolted, a gasp escaping him. At this, the man grinned maliciously, turning and walking away yet again. Only this time Luffy didn't stop him.

"Luffy, what the hell are you doing?! Don't let him get away!" Zoro yelled, attempting to chase the man only to be blocked by his lackeys. Franky and Usopp were in similar states. Zoro used his three swords style, but these men seemed more capable than the one Luffy knocked out. They wouldn't be going down so easily.

Zoro growled in frustration, watching the man retreat until he disappeared into the shadows. Sanji was there, hopefully he could handle it, but whatever that man's power was...it was enough to stop _Luffy_ , and _that_ was concerning. Speaking of Luffy…

"Oi, Luffy, say something! Snap out of it already and help us!" Usopp yelled, firing at his opponents and waiting for Luffy to respond. Their captain slowly got to his feet and turned to face them, but the look on his face was one Zoro couldn't recall ever seeing on him. He looked terrified, staring at them with mute shock.

Until finally he opened his mouth to speak.

"...A-Ace…?

* * *

Minutes had passed, but to Sanji it felt like hours. His heart had yet to return to its normal rhythm. He'd searched every room and found nothing, and was currently looking in the kitchen. He doubted they would hide treasure in the kitchen, but he had to check. He opened the fridge, a last ditch attempt to find something before going upstairs to find Nami, but quickly slammed it back shut when he saw what was inside. Severed heads was the last straw. They needed to leave _now_ , treasure be damned.

Just as he turned to go upstairs, one of Robin's hands sprouted on his shoulder, nearly scaring him out of his skin. He cursed, someone was coming. He heard rushed footsteps from upstairs and quickly ran towards them, knowing they needed to get Nami out of there. He ran into Law, carrying something that almost made Sanji feel relieved. A golden chest.

"It's more than she can carry. You'll need to help her, I'll stay here." Sanji frowned, because leaving Law behind didn't seem right. They didn't know who was coming, or how many of them.

"No way. Give her your coat, she can use it to carry everything. We need to go outside and help Robin and Brook," Sanji said, knowing Nami could fit everything in Law's long coat. The damn thing was huge.

Law nodded, and Sanji followed him to the room where Nami was. She watched the Warlord pile everything into his coat and bunch it up, making a makeshift sack. Nami hefted it over her back with a grin.

"Alright Law, do your thing. Get me as far as possible so I can leave this with Chopper ad come back to help," she said, Law once again nodding although he looked a little irritated at being told what to do. Still, he created a room so big Sanji couldn't tell where it ended, and with a twist of his wrist Nami was gone, a rock sitting where she had stood.

"I sent her as close to town as I could, she should be on the path there," he told Sanji, gripping his sword until his knuckles turned white. Sanji belatedly noticed how pale he looked, the bags under his eyes more prominent from the lack of color. Sanji supposed he wasn't as calm about everything as he tried to appear.

"We need to finish this," Sanji said, both of them running downstairs to go help fight. They didn't get far. Standing in the doorway was the man in the suit, an unpleasant grin on his face. Sanji felt a chill go down his spine. The man had gotten past Robin and Brook so fast, and it gave Sanji a bad feeling.

"Your crew has proved to be worthy test subjects. I can tell you two will as well," he said, grin widening as he took slow steps towards them. Sanji felt his heart drop into his stomach, what had he done to the others?

And what was he going to do to them?

* * *

 **So things are finally getting interesting, although there's plenty more to come. I got this done surprisingly fast, thankfully, and I've already got the next chapter pretty much planned out. I'm so bad at writing suspense and gore and whatnot, so hopefully this wasn't awful haha. I'm going to say it right now, I got the idea for this after watching the texas chainsaw massacre movies, so some of the 'gorey' parts are coming directly from that. Anyways, I'll try to have the next chapter up soon.**


	5. Chapter 5

"Luffy, what the hell are you talking about?" Zoro asked his captain slowly, wondering if he'd heard right. Why Luffy would say Ace's name at a time like this didn't make any sense. What had that guy done to him?

Luffy didn't reply, staring at the same spot with a haunted look in his eyes. It was like he didn't even hear Zoro, stuck in some sort of trance.

"Zoro, we need to take care of these guys and get out of here!" Usopp yelled, bringing Zoro's attention back to his fight. He was right, they could worry about Luffy later. Defeating enemies came first. Whatever that guy did, he was heading towards Nami and the others.

"Those swords would be a great addition to my collection. I can't wait to kill you with them," the albino man said to him, red eyes following his every movement. He wasn't anything special, swordsmanship skills a far cry from his own. There was no real tactic behind his swings, they were wild and sloppy. The only thing Zoro could read about him was that he wanted to kill.

"Like I'd allow that to happen," Zoro grunted, dodging the cleavers hacking strikes and returning them with more controlled, precise ones. He'd landed several hits already, but it didn't seem to affect the man at all. More and more blood splattered onto the dirt, but it didn't slow him down. It was like he couldn't even feel it.

"You're not the first who's said that to me. You're just another pirate, another piece of meat. All of you are going to die."

Zoro didn't let the words get to him, he'd been threatened plenty of times, but there was something in this guys tone that made all three of his swords growl. They wanted to kill this man soon, and it made Zoro wary. He just hoped Luffy snapped out if it so he could go help fight.

* * *

"What did you do to Robin and Brook?" Sanji asked, anger spiking through him at the idea of his friends getting hurt.

"The same thing I did to your captain. Would you like to see for yourself?" the man asked in return, twisted grin never leaving his face. Sanji got a terrible feeling from the man, almost as strong as the basement gave him. It felt like he was looking right through Sanji into his very soul. The fact that Luffy had been incapacitated worried Sanji even more.

"I'm afraid we don't have time for demonstrations," Law said, creating a room and unsheathing his sword. The sight of the blade got the man's attention rather quickly.

"Ah, a cursed sword? How interesting," Law seemed a little taken aback by that, and Sanji wondered how he could tell the sword was cursed. Sanji had no idea, it had always just looked like a normal sword to him.

Law seemed to hesitate as the man stared him down. Sanji felt the atmosphere in the room change, but for the life of him he couldn't figure out why. It was like the man was doing something, but what? He noticed a slight tremor in Law's hands, and he wondered if he was feeling the same thing Sanji was. But as he took a closer look, he realized Law's sword was practically vibrating. He'd seen Zoro's swords do that, or at least Shusui, but he never really bothered to ask the marimo about it.

"Her name is Kikoku, isn't it?" the man asked, and that certainly got a reaction out of Law. His room grew larger, encasing the man in it as he slashed the air with his sword. Sanji wasn't overly familiar with his powers, but even he knew that move should have dismembered the man.

Instead, he stood inches before Law, body still intact. Law's eyes widened as he quickly lurched back, trying to create some distance. Sanji watched the man intently, careful not to blink since he seemed capable of moving at incredible speeds. Yet the man appeared behind Law this time and he _still_ missed it.

Sanji felt his foot connecting with the man's side before he even realized what he was doing. He had to do something, Law couldn't fight him alone. The Warlord seemed to be having a hard time processing the man's movements, as was Sanji, but they had to stay on top of it.

"Oh, that was a mistake," the man chuckled, sending a chill down Sanji's spine. He had no idea what the man was talking about until suddenly, he felt his heart rate explode. The air around him seemed distorted somehow, his skin crawling in anticipation. It was the same sort of terror he'd felt in the basement, but this time it seemed unprecedented. There wasn't anything to feel this scared about.

Until suddenly, there was.

In the back of his mind, he knew it was a hallucination. But the fear was real. The _pain_ was real.

Seeing Zeff's still body on the ground before him, surrounded by a pool of blood, hit a _very_ large nerve in Sanji. It wasn't real, he knew that, but it _looked_ real. And the fact that this man knew who Zeff was and why it would bother Sanji so much to see him dead was even more concerning. Just what was this man's power?

He was frozen like that, staring at the sight before him in mute horror. It didn't register that Law was still in danger and had no idea what had happened to Sanji, or that soon the man would do the same thing to him and they would be screwed. All Sanji could focus on was the intense pain in his chest at seeing his foster-father dead, real or not.

But that was only the beginning. Every fear that Sanji had seemed to be coming to life. Suddenly he wasn't in the living room of the house, he was back in the basement. His friends were around him, dead with their limbs strewn up on the walls. His crew mates, friends from the Baratie, Zeff, all staring at him with dead eyes. Insects flew around the room, spiders crawling over every inch of him. Maggots, flies, cockroaches. His shoes were soaked in blood, the walls dripping in the dark red liquid.

And then it was shattered as he felt himself being shaken, snapping out of his hallucination with a gasp. He blinked, feeling heavily disoriented as he realized they weren't in the same place they had been a few seconds ago. Now they were in a cramped, dark closet, and Law was covering his mouth.

"Mr. Blackleg, you have to get yourself together and tell me what happened. What did he do to you just now?" Law asked him, keeping his voice low. Sanji felt himself trembling but was quick to snap out of it. They were still in danger, he could have a break down later if he needed to.

"He can create illusions," Sanji sighed, feeling exhausted now that some of the adrenaline had worn off, "I'm still not sure how, but it's like he can go into your head and find everything your afraid of and make it real. Or at least, it feels real."

"I thought so," Law muttered, his ever present scowl deeper than usual. Sanji belatedly remembered the man knowing something about his sword.

"He did it to you, didn't he? I mean, he knew your swords name."

"I had a feeling when he first showed up, like he was looking right through me. He could see things that nobody else could. Somehow, he can go into people's heads and get information about them. It seems like in order to create illusions, he has to touch that person first," Law said, Sanji nodding in agreement. So Law had felt the same thing he did.

"He must have done the same thing to Robin and Brook...and Luffy, too. What if he did that to everyone? We weren't prepared for this," Sanji growled, hating the idea of his friends going through the same thing he had.

"If we leave now, he'll only come after us. We can't endanger the town," Law said. Sanji knew he had a point, but they were running out of options. They were so unprepared it was almost laughable. But, they had made it out of some pretty crazy situations before. They just needed a strategy.

"So what are we going to do? You saw how fast he was, and we can't touch him. How do you fight someone like that?"

"He knows everything about us already," Law added. Their situation was only getting worse. They needed a plan, and fast, but the fact of the matter was there was no way they could win against this enemy. Not right now. "If we leave now, we need to find the rest of your crew first."

"Is leaving really the best option? If Chopper got Carol out of the barn, they already have a reason to go into town. But if we all retreat, we'll just be giving them another reason. We won't have any time to think of a plan, and we'll be endangering innocent people."

Law was quiet for a moment, trying to think of any other options they might have, but the situation looked bleak. "I know my powers will be able to take him down. I just need you to distract him long enough for me to do something."

"I can do that," Sanji nodded, knowing if anyone had the right power to fight this guy it was Law. The guy could control anything within a room, after all, and it didn't involve physically touching the man. But the man was fast, Sanji would have to keep him busy.

They heard footsteps outside of the door, and Sanji knew it was now or never.

* * *

"Tch, these guys are a pain," Zoro said, not quite sure if he fully understood what he was looking at. The guy he was fighting was full of wounds, literally, but still kept fighting as if nothing had happened. Zoro had a pretty good pain tolerance, but this was ridiculous. The guy should be dead.

Luffy had snapped out of it, sort of, and was helping them fight. But he still wasn't himself. All Zoro could gather was that the guy in the suit had touched him, and then he'd seen Ace, which made no sense. Was it an illusion? Luffy should have been able to tell it was fake, Ace was definitely dead, but he still seemed so affected by it.

Even more concerning, the guy Luffy had initially knocked out was gone.

Zoro could only assume he'd gone after Chopper, which meant the townspeople could be in danger. He only hoped Nami had found the treasure and was going back to town. At least then she could help fight the guy with Chopper.

"When will you give up? Your friends are already dead, you know. Boss won't let them leave the house alive," the albino said, not seeming to care that Zoro had cut off his arm.

"Why don't you give up? There's such a thing as blood loss, you know," Zoro remarked, a little fascinated despite the situation being so shitty. How could anyone keep moving after so many injuries? Well, maybe he wasn't one to talk.

"Hm, yeah, there is. Good thing my blood never runs out," the albino replied, confusing Zoro even more.

"What the hell does that mean?" he asked, boots slipping in the bloody sand. At this point there was so much blood the sand was more like mud.

"Devil fruits are fun things, aren't they? So many different kinds. Mine, for instance, gives me an infinite amount of blood. The blood-blood fruit."

"You have got to be shitting me," Zoro said, exasperated at how their already bad situation seemed to keep getting worse, "Do all of you weirdos have devil fruits?"

"Just me and Boss, although his is...well, you'll find out soon enough."

"Not likely. I'm gonna finish you off here, regardless of your dumbass fruit," Zoro said, stabbing the man in the heart. If he had an unlimited blood supply, Zoro would have to go for his organs. And what better organ than the one controlling blood flow?

"Did you really think that would work?" the albino asked, coughing up blood and swinging his cleaver at Zoro.

"Maybe. But if not the heart, then maybe the brain?" Zoro smirked, noticing the way the man narrowed his eyes and got into an actual fighting stance. If he was finally getting serious, then Zoro must have found his weak spot.

Maybe they could finally make some progress after all.

* * *

The plan had worked...kind of. Sanji had distracted the man while Law waited for the right moment to attack. By some twist of luck, Law managed to do some damage. Sanji wasn't really sure what, exactly, since he wasn't familiar at all with Law's moves, but the man had coughed up blood so he assumed it was good. But then...things went to shit. Again.

Evidently, the man could create illusions without touching his target, and this time it was Law's turn to suffer.

Which is how they ended up in the closet again. Sanji had to drag Law in there, but thankfully the man was too busy being wounded to go after them.

"Law, snap out of it already!" Sanji was shaking the warlord, a bit disturbed to see the man so...affected by something. Usually Law was stoic and serious, with the occasional sassy remark or face of disbelief as he watched Luffy be...well, Luffy. But now…

Now he was shaking, eyes wide in horror and face pale, muttering nonsense. Sanji wondered if he'd been the same way.

"C-Cora...Cora-san..." Law kept saying that name like a mantra, Sanji figured it was someone important to Law, but he really needed Law to come back to reality already.

"Do I have to kick you? We have to go, Law!" Sanji shook the man harder, sighing as Law suddenly blinked and focused on him.

"Mr. Blackleg...But how did we get here? I thought..."

"He can create illusions without touching you. He's injured, though, so we need to either finish him off or get out of here. I don't think he'll follow us if he's hurt."

"Damnit.." Law growled, grimacing as he tried to wrap his head around what just happened. "We need to leave and think of another strategy. I tried to kill him, not injure him, and by all means he should be dead. The fact that he's not means he's got something else up his sleeve that we don't know about."

"Can you get us out of here?" Sanji asked, hoping Law could just teleport them to where the others were.

Law sighed, still trembling slightly as he nodded, "I can, yes."

Sanji watched as he created a room, hand quivering in the process, and then suddenly they were standing outside. It was a weird feeling, but Sanji was grateful to be out of that house. He noticed Robin and Brook not to far away, both lying on the ground.

"Hey, are you guys okay?" he yelled, running over to his fallen friends and sighing in relief as they both seemed to snap out of their daze.

"Sanji? But how...what happened?" Robin asked, looking a little shaken as she tried to comprehend everything.

"It's a long story, but for now we need to find the others and get the hell out of here," Sanji replied, helping her up and then turning his attention to Brook. The skeleton seemed okay, though it was kind of hard to tell.

"Are we retreating then?" he asked. Sanji nodded, making sure Robin was okay to walk before leading the way towards Luffy and the others.

"We don't have a choice. Their boss is stronger than we're prepared to handle, but luckily Law managed to wound him pretty badly. We have to go back while we can."

"What about Nami?" Robin asked, wondering where the navigator had gone off to.

"She should be back at the inn by now, we managed to find the treasure," Sanji said, frowning as they approached the barn. Chopper was missing, so he assumed the doctor had escaped with Carol. That was good, only now they had several people to fight and no time to do so.

"Oi, you guys were supposed to have things taken care of here," Sanji remarked, eyes directed at Zoro in particular. He was fighting a peculiar looking guy, with an alarming amount of blood surrounding them. Zoro didn't seem to have a scratch on him, but could all that blood really belong to one person? And was his arm missing? Things just kept getting weirder.

"What took you so long, curly-brow?" Zoro asked in turn, aiming for the man's head with his swords. Sanji wondered what that was about, Zoro didn't usually go for head shots.

"Long story, but we gotta go. We'll have to finish this later. Nami got what she wanted anyways," Sanji said, mentioning that last part just to piss off their enemies. Now they knew their precious treasure was gone.

"Impossible...you should all be dead. Where's Boss?" the pale one asked, fixing his empty looking eyes onto Sanji. It was a rookie mistake, and spoke volumes about how experienced these people really were when it came to fighting. But Zoro took advantage of the opportunity, Shusui plunging through his head and coming out through his forehead. Now the albino's eyes really were lifeless.

"Your boss is busy dying, and if you all don't back off you'll be in the same state," Sanji said to the remaining lackeys, all of them surprised to hear their leader was injured. Luffy's head shot up at that, and Sanji could tell he'd experienced the same thing as Sanji. He was far too serious.

"You killed him?" he asked, sounding none too pleased by the news. Sanji shook his head and nodded towards Law.

"He's still alive, Law did what he could though. Don't worry, you'll get your chance to beat him. But we need to go back to town and rethink some things," he expected Luffy to argue and say they needed to finish him now, but surprisingly he agreed.

"Do you think we'll just let you all leave?" one of the remaining men said, and suddenly one of Law's rooms was surrounding all of them. With a flick of his wrist, all of them were suddenly gone.

"I suggest we leave now. I was only able to injure their boss, but he could come after us any second," Law said, looking a little worse for wear. Sanji figured it must be the extensive use of his powers tiring him out.

"Let's go back then. We'll think of another new plan, and when we come back I'm going to kick that guys ass for real," Luffy growled, taking the same path Chopper had taken through the forest. They ran fast, knowing time was too valuable to waste right now.

Next time they left that house, it would be in ruins.

* * *

 **Still no Lawsan, but it's coming soon! Maybe the next chapter. I hate to write them retreating since it's not something I think they would do, especially Luffy, but in this case I think it's necessary. Also, I'm terrible at writing fight scenes, so if I start leaving out too many details during a fight that's why. I'm honestly not used to writing something with so much plot, usually it's just smut with a little bit of plot, haha. Hope it's still enjoyable!**


	6. Chapter 6

They returned to the inn, only to find something unexpected waiting for them. The asshole Luffy had knocked out initially was tied to a chair, Lenard holding a shotgun and Daryl staying close to Carol. Chopper was busy treating the woman while Nami counted her treasure, neither of them paying too much attention to their new hostage.

"Uh, why is he here?" Sanji asked, although it was probably a good thing they had a hostage now. For being a part of such disgusting acts, the kid seemed genuinely frightened by the shotgun pointed at him. Then again, who wouldn't be?

"He followed me after I rescued Carol from the barn. How did everything go with you guys?" Chopper replied, adjusting the bag of fluids he'd set up and turning to face his friends. None of them looked victorious, in fact everyone seemed kind of...off.

"We have to go back one more time," Luffy said, his seriousness frightening the doctor. It was rare to see their captain with such a stony expression, so something bad must have happened.

"Eh? You guys didn't finish them off?" Nami asked, pausing from her treasure ogling and noticing how pale everyone looked. "What happened after I left?"

"It's...a really long story. We're going to need another plan before we go back since their leader is stronger than we anticipated," Sanji replied, sighing as exhaustion overwhelmed him. The day was barely half over and yet so much had happened, all he wanted to do was sleep.

"I knew you wouldn't be able to defeat him, Boss is too strong," their hostage said, speaking for the first time. He was quick to shut up when the Lenard moved the shotgun barrel closer to his face.

"If he's so strong, why isn't he here? Don't you think he would've followed us if he was able to?" Luffy asked, moving closer to the kid and leveling him with a glare. "We didn't leave without doing some damage of our own."

"You're lying! Countless pirates have faced him, and none of them made it out alive! What makes you any different?" he asked them, and Sanji realized this kid was younger than he looked. His voice was still high-pitched, he couldn't be older than thirteen. So what was he doing with people like them?

"Someday I'm going to be King of the Pirates, so someone like your boss doesn't stand a chance against me or my crew. Although Tra-guy was the one who injured him," Luffy pouted a little a that, some of his seriousness dispersing.

The kid looked up at Law, his eyes widening in recognition. "I've heard of you before! You're that creepy surgeon of death guy! What are you doing with these weirdos?" they all bristled at that, Law smirking ever so slightly.

"I'm afraid you're in no position to say that about me, brat. The real question is, why is a child living with such a deranged group of people? You're our hostage, so I suggest you start talking," Law said, unsheathing his sword just an inch as an attempt to intimidate the kid. The look on his face showed that it worked, but he still wouldn't crack.

"I don't have to tell you anything! Boss saved me, I owe him everything! Even if some of the things he does are bad, I can't go against him. You won't be getting any information from me!"

"Alright that's enough, Noah. You've caused enough trouble for all of us, it's time to let it go," surprisingly it was Carol who spoke, her voice harsh enough to make the kid jump.

" _EH_?!" they all turned to Carol, wondering if they'd heard right, "You _know_ this brat?!"

"Well of course we do. We weren't sure if the rumors were true at first, but when he showed up here it cleared our doubts. Y'all remember the story I told ya, right? About how old man Dorian used to live there and his grandson was supposed to inherit the farm? Well, this is him. Little shit up and disappeared after Dorian died, he was only twelve at the time," Daryl said, narrowing his eyes at Noah who was pouting rather childishly. Sanji did the math in his head, something wasn't adding up. If Dorian had died a few years ago, then that meant…

"Wait, this kids fifteen? He looks like he's still fucking twelve!" Zoro beat him to it, surprisingly. Sanji didn't know the marimo could think that fast.

"At least I don't have seaweed hair!" that earned Noah a punch on the head. Sanji was busy laughing at Zoro's irritated face.

"Shut up, shit-cook! This is serious!" Zoro yelled at him, growing more irritated when Sanji continued laughing.

"No, you're right for once, it is serious," Sanji said after finally collecting himself, "Alright, so you ran away after your old man passed. That doesn't explain how you ended up with a bunch of sickos and why you've been staying with them. This is your home, isn't it? Why would you let them terrorize your friends?"

"They aren't my friends! I never liked anyone here, and they didn't like us either! They hated my granddad, and my parents too! Funny how all of them conveniently died, isn't it?"

"Look kid, your dad was a shitty person. He never cared about ya anyways, I don't know why you're still mad about that," Lenard said, and at that point everyone was thoroughly confused. It seemed like there was still a lot they didn't know, and right now they needed all of the details.

"Okay, someone better explain what's going on right now. What happened to his dad and why didn't you mention it sooner?" Nami asked, looking between the two older men to see who was going to offer an explanation.

"They killed him! Then they killed my mom, and finally my granddad!" Noah yelled, trying in vain to break free from the ropes keeping him tied to the chair.

"I've told ya before that ain't true! Yer mom was sick, and Dorian was old. But he's right, we did kill his dad, but for a good reason! That guy was almost as bad as those bastards in the woods! We didn't bring it up to y'all since we weren't completely sure Noah was living with them in the first place. Plus, we don't usually tell strangers everything about ourselves. That'd be pretty stupid, don't y'all agree?"

Nami slapped a hand over her face, clearly fed up with the never ending twists this island kept throwing at them. "Is everyone on this island completely insane?!"

"We need to start from the beginning," Carol sighed, knowing she would have to take control of the situation since neither Lenard or Daryl could do it properly. They were idiots, but they meant well. Still, they had some explaining to do, and it would take quite a while.

* * *

It was dark by the time they had everything sorted out. Carol explained everything, and it was quite the story. Noah seemed to be in shock, having never knew how terrible his father truly was.

"So that's why he was never around?" he asked, sounding lost and confused, but mostly hurt. Evidently, his father had been affiliated with the same people as Noah currently was.

"That's right. They would meet every so often, I saw your father walking into the woods late at night and decided to follow him. I had no idea who they were at the time, but I could hear some of the things they talked about. Your father never was quite... all _there_ , he was always causing trouble for us. Your mother protected you from it, even when he..." Carol trailed off, a look of sadness washing over her.

"Beat her," Noah finished for her, voice wavering. He had heard the noise, but never wanted to believe it was true. His mother would always tell him it was nothing more than a small argument and that everything was okay, but then her health started going south and he knew nothing would ever be okay. All his father did was drink and yell and then disappear, coming back only to yell some more. To hear that he'd been involved with the same group of people before being killed was unnerving.

"I'm just like him, aren't I? After my granddad died I didn't know where to go, but then _he_ came one night and told me to come with him. He said I could be useful, so I went with him. I never knew..."

"It's not too late," Carol told him, "You can still change. We always wanted to tell you the truth, Noah, but you disappeared before we had the chance. Now you know everything. So, will you help us?"

Everyone waited for Noah to answer, knowing he must have information that could be useful to them. If he joined them, it might make a difference.

"Okay. I'll help, but I still don't think there's any way to beat him. His powers are too strong." Noah replied, sighing in relief as the ropes were untied and the shotgun put away.

"We injured him already, so we have to be able to finish him. We just need a plan. The fact that nobody has come for us yet means he's planning too." Sanji said, wondering how much time they had left.

"I'm gonna kick his ass, that's the plan!" Luffy shouted.

"You tried that already, remember? We need a better plan than that." Zoro said, although he didn't see the harm in letting Luffy go all out. Hell, he'd even join him at this point. Fighting the bastard sounded fun.

"Torao, we're going to need your powers for this. He's too fast and his powers are too unpredictable." Nami said, knowing Law was their best option. This man could incapacitate all of them in a mere second, but inside Law's room, they had a better chance.

"But _I_ wanna fight him!" Luffy yelled, pouting at Law who looked completely unfazed.

"You can have him, Strawhat. Just stay within my room." Law replied, looking disinterested in the technicalities. They had spent far too much time on this island with an enemy that didn't even compare to Doflamingo, and yet they couldn't beat him.

"We're all aware of his powers, so everyone needs to just stay on their toes and fight with everything they've got. As long as we stay in Law's room, we'll have a better chance of winning. Just take down whoever gets in the way." Nami said. It was the best plan they would get, and at this point it was all they needed.

"Rest tonight, we'll rotate through watch in case they come. We need to be in top shape to fight this guy."

* * *

Rest, as it would be, was not easy to come by. Sanji knew he was exhausted, but whenever he closed his eyes all he could see was the basement and all of the horrors that came with it. He'd stepped outside several times already to chain smoke but it was doing nothing to calm him down.

Law had disappeared, Sanji had no idea where he could be but it was well past midnight. His tired mind didn't want to think about Law and yet that's exactly what it did, giving him more of a headache. Law had seemed incredibly nonplussed after everything that they'd seen today, his complicated, stoic composure never diminishing.

It had almost slipped, though. Sanji remembered seeing how pale Law had been, his entire body shaking ever so slightly. It had effected him, that was true, but he did a damn good job of hiding it.

And now he was gone, doing who knows what. Sanji supposed he could be on watch duty, but he wasn't sure. Law was still a mystery to him, and he still wanted to figure him out, but they needed to get through this first.

Just as Sanji was about to have another cigarette, the door opened and Law entered the room, regarding Sanji with a blank look. He almost asked where Law had been, but decided against it. Law's whereabouts were none of his business.

Surprisingly, Law spoke first. "I hate to ask this of you, Mr. Blackleg, but can I have one of those?" Law was staring at his box of cigarettes, and Sanji knew he _must_ be stressed if he wanted to smoke so bad.

"Aren't you a doctor?" Sanji asked with a smirk, hoping it would help lighten the mood. Thankfully Law grinned, taking the offered cancer stick and lighting it. Sanji knew he didn't smoke often, he didn't seem like the type, and yet he made it look as if he did it every day. It gave Sanji the strangest feeling in his stomach but he ignored it, knowing when it came to Law weird things just tended to happen.

"One won't hurt, although _you_ may want to consider smoking less. If I looked at your lungs right now I'm sure they would be black." Sanji shuddered at the thought of Law cutting him open, because the surgeon really would do it if he wanted to.

"Well considering the damn things aren't helping me relax I suppose you're right. Today's just been one hell of a day." Law nodded in agreement, frowning sharply around the cigarette. Both of their minds wandered back to the basement, and then to the hallucinations they'd experienced. Sanji suddenly remembered snapping out of it in the closet, Law shaking him awake.

"Thanks for earlier, by the way," Sanji said, Law raising an eyebrow in confusion. "You helped me get my shit together after that freak used his powers on me."

"Ah, it was nothing. You did the same for me." Law replied. Sanji could tell he wasn't used to gratitude by his sudden awkward demeanor, which for some reason he found amusing. He remembered their conversation from the other night and grinned wider.

"I do trust you, you know. Regardless of how badly you think I shouldn't, I still do. As creepy as you are, I don't believe you would do anything to betray us." Sanji said, earning a little chuckle from Law.

"And after the alliance is over?"

"I still say you're stuck with us, because there's no way Luffy would accept us becoming enemies. But honestly, if you ever did attack us, I wouldn't be all that surprised." Sanji answered, though even if that happened he would probably still trust Law. The man had his motives, and even if Sanji wasn't entirely sure what they were, it didn't matter. Law had proven that he was trustworthy, despite what his reputation might say.

In fact, his reputation didn't really match up to who he actually was.

But maybe he was assuming too much.

"I don't see myself attacking your crew, really. Not unless I had a valid reason, but even then...Your Captain is doing me an incredible favor, one that I will always be grateful for. It wouldn't feel right."

Yeah, Law's reputation _really_ didn't match up to who he actually was, and Sanji was just now realizing it.

"You know, maybe you're not as creepy as I originally thought."

He saw Law stiffen out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly the man was grinning, though it wasn't pleasant looking.

"I wouldn't say that, Mr. Blackleg." Sanji frowned at the sudden change in his behavior, wondering what Law was implying.

"Oh? You look like you want to prove it to me. Try it, shitty doctor." Sanji challenged, Law smirking in response. He held out his hand as if to create a room and Sanji reacted immediately, leg shooting up to kick the offending hand away. But his foot only kicked the air, Law appearing back inside of the bedroom. Sanji growled in annoyance, hating Law's damn abilities.

"Save it for the enemy, Mr. Blackleg. Your so called _trust_ is appreciated." Law was back to being his serious, asshole self, but Sanji wasn't having it. He was too on edge from the hectic day and the prospect of tomorrow, and too exhausted to handle Law's cryptic attitude.

"Why can't you accept the fact that someone trusts you? We're in an alliance, trust is good. Besides, you haven't shown me any reason _not_ to trust you. Or is that what _this_ is?" Sanji tossed his cigarette and stalked closer to Law, his patience wearing thin.

"There is a _multitude_ of reasons why you shouldn't trust me, Mr. Blackleg." Law replied, regarding Sanji with a cold, calculating look. He was gripping his sword tight, ready to make a move just like Sanji was. There was simply too much tension in the air, and they were fully prepared to take it out on each other. Besides, the tension with Law had been there from the start. It had been building up all along, and now it was spilling over. Sanji always had kind of wanted to kick Law's face in.

"Show me. What are you afraid of, Trafalgar?"

Sanji dodged the first swipe of Law's sword, but he found himself surrounded by a blue film in the blink of an eye. He kicked Law in the ribs once, and then blinked as he was suddenly being held up against the wall by his shirt collar.

"Irrational brat." Law grunted, holding his ribs protectively. Sanji knew nothing was broken, he didn't put that much power into it, but there would definitely be a nasty looking bruise.

" _I'm_ irrational? You're the one getting defensive just because an ally trusts you. Which by the way, I didn't trust you immediately. Maybe I still don't trust you completely, but it's there and you just have to get over it. I'm not the only one, either. Luffy sure as fuck trusts you, and he's our Captain, so we all kind of feel the same after a while." Sanji said, grunting as Law pushed him harder against the wall. He kicked Law hard in the back, earning a grunt from the man, but his grip only tightened.

"The fact of the matter is that none of you know a thing about me. You seem to _think_ you do, though, and I don't know why. You've been watching me since the beginning, trying to read me, it bothers you doesn't it? And yet I can read you so _easily_." Law growled, stepping closer to Sanji and lowering the cook to the floor. With how close they were, there wasn't much room for Sanji to kick him, but that didn't stop him from trying.

Sanji felt himself growing angrier by the second, because everything Law was saying was true.

"You're full of shit. You've got your reputation to hide behind, don't you? That's why you're such a bastard about everything. Can't have anyone knowing you're not some bloodthirsty maniac, right? You're just pissy that I see past it." Sanji jolted as Law suddenly shoved his hand into his chest, his heart constricting painfully as Law gripped it.

"You don't know anything." Law said, pulling out Sanji's heart and holding it before him. Sanji tried not to focus on how disturbing it was to see his own heart, but he knew Law was doing this for show. He'd hit a nerve within Sanji, but Sanji returned the favor.

"What are you gonna do?" Sanji challenged, gasping despite himself as Law squeezed his heart harder. His legs shot out as an attempt to make it stop, wrapping around Law's waist and squeezing tight. The surgeon grunted, having to hold Sanji's entire weight as the cook tried to knock him off balance and gain control.

Sanji wasn't entirely sure when things... _changed_. Law was close, too close for comfort. They were pressed so tightly together neither could really move, both ready to win the fight, but suddenly Sanji was hyper aware of how close they were and the atmosphere in the room changed completely.

Sanji's heart was rapidly beating in Law's hand, the two of them too engrossed in a staring contest to notice. Sanji couldn't wrap his mind around what was happening. He'd never been this close to Law, the warlord's golden eyes staring at him with such intensity it made Sanji freeze. He felt like a proverbial deer caught in the headlights.

He made the mistake of glancing down at Law's lips. He couldn't fathom _why_ he would do that, but their faces were so close it was impossible not to. Law's eyes narrowed, flicking down to Sanji's lips and back into his one visible eye. Sanji gulped, everything about their situation grating on his nerves. The high tension, the fact that his heart was still _outside_ of his body, the fact that he still had his legs wrapped tightly around Law's waist and their faces were mere inches apart. And Law was still holding onto him with one hand, pressing him into the wall and staring at him with a look of pure heat, though Sanji couldn't tell what kind of heat anymore.

Neither of them moved, they stayed just like that for what felt like hours. The room had become hot, the air was thin, but all Sanji could focus on was the odd color of Law's eyes and what lie beneath them, the look of anger mixed with lust.

Sanji had never seen that look directed at him, at least not from another man. Anger sure, but lust? He couldn't comprehend it, not with his already frazzled mind. He should be doing everything in his power to get away, but he wasn't.

And _that_ worried him more than anything, because he wasn't reacting the way he should be.

He was flat out staring at Law's lips now, hundreds of questions buzzing through his head but none of them really registering. His brain felt like fuzz, all he could focus on was Law. He dared to look into the surgeon's eyes again, fearing Law might be looking at him in disgust for wanting this. But what he saw instead sent a jolt of liquid fire down to his groin.

Law rarely showed any semblance of emotion, so seeing such raw lust in his usually dull eyes surprised Sanji. The fact that it was _lust_ is what drove him crazy. It was the last thing he'd ever thought of seeing from Law, not that he'd actually thought about it until now.

He moved closer, their lips nearly touching but neither of them wanting to cross that last line. He was hard, he knew it but couldn't bring himself to care. Besides, he wasn't the only one and by the looks of it, Law didn't give a damn either.

Sanji shifted, purposefully rubbing against the hardness between Law's legs. The warlord's fist clenched harder in the fabric of his shirt, and Sanji watched, entranced, as Law sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and bit down on it. It took all of his willpower not to kiss Law then and there. They were stuck like that, neither crossing the line but enjoying the tease, deciding to sort through the confusion later.

"What's wrong, Trafalgar? Weren't you going to prove something to me?" Sanji said, grinding against Law's dick and gripping the man's shoulders.

And apparently that was enough to snap Law out of it, rational thought processes taking back over as he nearly dropped Sanji and moved away quickly, any hint of the intense attraction from mere seconds ago replaced with disdain and indifference. Sanji straightened his shirt, his conscious hitting him like a punch to the face. What the hell had just happened? Was any of that even real, or was Sanji hallucinating from exhaustion? He felt his face grow red. They had been so close to kissing, and Sanji had been fully prepared to let that happen despite the fact that it was a man instead of a beautiful woman. Not just any man, either, but a rather dangerous one who was currently looking at Sanji with one of the coldest glares he'd ever seen.

"Get some rest, Mr. Blackleg. You'll need it tomorrow."

Sanji almost said something, _almost_ asked why Law would pretend like none of that happened. But he already knew the answer, and quite frankly, he didn't want to acknowledge it either. Whatever had just happened was from too much pent up stress and exhaustion, nothing more. By tomorrow it would be like it never happened, and everything would be back to normal. Sanji just wanted to move on to Dressrosa, because the more time Law spent on their ship, the more Sanji wanted to kick him into the ocean. Law was an asshole, nothing more nothing less. Hell, the guy couldn't even handle one person trusting him even a little, despite being in an alliance. In fact, he seemed intent on keeping people away, hiding behind his reputation that Sanji just knew was full of shit.

Not that he cared. Law may be a mystery, but Sanji wanted nothing to do with him anymore.

Or at least, that's what he told himself.

* * *

 **Sorry for the long wait on this one, I've been super busy lately and I wasn't entirely happy with the way this came out so it took a while to edit, but at least it's done. And there was lawsan! I'll try to post the next chapter soon, hopefully it doesn't take forever.**


	7. Chapter 7

Somehow, Sanji managed to get a few hours of sleep. He _would_ have gotten more if they hadn't been attacked at the crack of dawn. The Boss himself wasn't there, only his lackeys, which meant he was still licking his wounds. That was good, they could take out his men before going after the real target.

Noah wasn't much of a fighter, as it turned out, but he had valuable information about their enemies that proved useful. He knew their strengths and weaknesses, and with his help they were able to claim victory rather quickly.

Now they just had one more hurdle to cross, and a rather large one at that. Injured or not, this man had abilities that weren't meant to be taken lightly. He could incapacitate any of them at any given time. But they had numbers on their side. There were eleven of them now thanks to Noah, and powerful or not, he was still only one man. With Law's help they would be able to win.

Sanji frowned sharply at the thought of Law, memories from last night still fresh. He hadn't so much as looked at the man, his stomach twisting at the mere thought. His issues with Law weren't ever going to vanish, it seemed. Instead they only got worse.

But he had more important things to worry about. They were already making their way to the old farmhouse, all of them pissed at the sudden invasion so early in the morning. They were ready to get this out of the way for good. Luffy was especially pumped, claiming he would defeat the man with one hit. Law insisted he remain careful and stay inside the room, but telling Luffy to be careful never did work well.

"So, is there anything you can tell us about him? Any weaknesses?" Zoro asked Noah, although they had already brought this up with the boy several times. He claimed not to know anything, but none of them fully believed it. He had to know something.

Noah sighed, wondering how long they would harass him about this."I've seen him use his powers lots of times but I really don't understand it. Devil fruits are complicated. All I know is he can read your mind, find your deepest darkest fears and make them appear real. He can distort reality and make you think you're somewhere else, and he can do all of this without warning. I've never seen any signs of weakness from him, I honestly don't know how you managed to injure him in the first place." He looked at Law then, something akin to adoration in his eyes, which very clearly made Law uncomfortable.

"How long do his hallucinations last? Is there a time limit?" Nami asked, being one of the few who hadn't had the pleasure of experiencing the man's power.

"Unless there's someone with you to snap you out of it, they'll last as long as he wants them to. You _do_ have to be in his line of sight, if that helps. If he can't see you, he can't cause the hallucinations. But once you're stuck in one, it doesn't matter how far you run, he has control."

"You call him Boss, but does he have an actual name? We never did bother to figure that out." Brook asked, reminding them all of that fact.

Noah shook his head, "I never asked his name. Everyone had always called him Boss, and I figured asking his name would be bad. I've been referring to him as 'penguin face' in my head since his nose reminds me of their beaks."

" _Shishishi_ , his nose _is_ really long and pointy. Kind of like Usopp's!" Luffy grinned, his previous seriousness replaced by his usual demeanor now that they were finally going to finish this.

Usopp looked appalled, covering his nose and glaring at Luffy. "My nose isn't that long! And it sure as hell isn't pointy!"

"So, you're really Trafalgar Law? I heard you gave the military a hundred pirate hearts! But why would you want to work for them?" Noah asked Law, still fully intent on hero-worshiping him despite the fact that Law was the _last_ person who should get worshiped.

"It's not a matter of wanting to. Right now it's what I have to do, regardless of me liking it or not. Besides, it keeps my bounty frozen, so I don't have to deal with people trying to capture me." Law replied, wondering why this kid was suddenly fascinated with him. He wasn't good with kids. Or people in general.

"You're bounty is huge! You must be really strong, no wonder you're the only one who injured Boss." Noah grinned, clearly becoming more infatuated with Law by the second. The warlord seemed uncomfortable with it, but Sanji could tell it was inflating his already large ego.

"Hey, I'm strong too! I'm the one who's going to kick his ass and bring the entire house down! Torao isn't all that great!" Luffy yelled, bristling at the attention Law was getting.

"I had help that day," Law said, and while Sanji was making a point not to look at him he could feel the surgeon's eyes glance over to him, "I wouldn't have been able to do that without help."

"Well, you're still really strong, and your powers are so cool!"

They walked the rest of the way like that, Noah complimenting Law who was growing more and more uncomfortable, and Luffy more jealous. Eventually they came to a stop in front of the iron gates yet again, though this time they gates were wide open.

"Looks like he's expecting us. Didn't bother to lock up or anything," Zoro said. They began moving towards the house, but stopped when they realized Noah wasn't following them.

"Noah? What is it?" Nami asked, noticing the way the boys legs looked a little wobbly.

"N-Nothing, it's just...I don' know what he's going to do to me. I did technically betray him." Noah replied nervously, eyes never leaving the house in the distance.

"Don't worry kid, we won't let him do anything. But you probably should stay out here where it's safe. It's gonna get messy in there and we don't want you getting caught up in it." Zoro said, knowing Noah wouldn't be of any use to them inside. He wasn't a fighter, and he was still so young.

"But I want to help! There has to be something I can do." Noah pleaded, but all of them knew it would be better for him to stay outside.

"You gave us information about him. You've already helped. Just stay here where it's safe." Law told him, knowing the boy would listen to him, though he couldn't understand why.

Noah's shoulders sagged in disappointment, but he nodded anyways. "Just be careful."

"We will. This won't take long." Sanji said, knowing he was right. Ten against one? They had this in the bag.

* * *

Sanji was amazed at how wrong he was. Really, the universe never stopped screwing them over. They had lasted a good three minutes before everything went to hell.

In hindsight, all ten of them bursting into the house like they owned the place was a bad idea. The house was big, sure, but not _that_ big. And having all of them in the same room made things too easy for the enemy.

He'd taken out Law first.

It was the smartest move he could have made. Law was the one who injured him, after all, and the man knew by now that Law's powers were too troublesome for him.

After that, none of them really had a chance. Sanji ran as soon as he realized they were fucked, his friends falling one by one. He had to think of another plan, and as long as he wasn't in that bastards line of sight, he would be fine.

He ran upstairs, picking a random room and hiding there, listening to the noise downstairs. It only took the blink of an eye, and this man could have already searched through someone's mind and found what he needed to render them useless. He'd taken out the devil fruit users first. Zoro was still fighting, but it wouldn't be enough and soon he would be like the others, trapped in some terrible hallucination.

He needed Law. That fact really pissed him off, because as of right now they weren't even on speaking terms, but he needed Law's power. The two of them managed to land a hit before, and they would have to do it again.

Sanji stilled as he suddenly realized things were too quiet. With all of them hallucinating, he should hear at least _some_ noise, but all he got was silence.

He quietly left his hiding spot and went back downstairs, only to find the living room empty. His heart leaped into his throat as he heard a thud from below, feet carrying him to the basement before he even registered the movement. He stopped short though, the idea of the basement causing fear to seize his movements. He didn't want to go back down there. But his friends were down there, and who knows what would happen to them now. He had to save them.

He took two steps and was suddenly being yanked into a closet, a hand quickly covering his mouth before he could make any noise. It only took him half a second to realize it was Zoro.

"Good, he didn't get you either. Most of them are down there, some of the others ran off. I think they're all under the effect of his powers except for you, me, Franky and Brook, although I don't know where they went. Everyone kind of scattered, but he definitely has Law and Luffy down there. So, any plans shit-cook?" Zoro explained, knowing they needed to get the two captains to safety.

"We need to get them out of there now, before he does anything to them," Sanji grimaced. He knew Zoro hadn't been down there yet, so the swordsman had no idea what they were walking into. "It's not going to be pretty, but we have to do it and snap those two out of it so they can finish this. The question is how? As soon as he sees us he'll just fuck us up too."

"We need a distraction. Fuck, I wish I knew where the others went." Zoro cursed, both of them going still as footsteps approached the door. They could tell by the frantic breathing that it was a female, most likely Nami. Zoro was quick to open the door and snatch her up, just like he'd done to Sanji.

"Nami-swan, are you okay?" Sanji asked slowly, not sure if she was hallucinating or not. Her eyes seemed unfocused, but she managed to nod her head.

"He got me, I don't know where everyone else is at but he's coming to find us. He's got Law and Luffy chained up downstairs, I think he wants all of us down there before he..." Nami trailed off, covering her mouth as hallucinations assaulted her. Sanji wasn't sure how she could manage talking to them, unless the effects weren't hitting her as hard. Or she had already shaken herself out of it a little.

"If he's searching for us, we have a chance to go down there and break them free. As long as those two are good, they should be able to finish this. We just have to get them to that point." Sanji said, knowing now was their chance.

"You two go, I'm going to try to find the others." Nami said, opening the door before either one of them could tell her to take it easy.

Too many things happened in that moment for Sanji to keep up with.

It took all of them a second too long to comprehend the fact that their enemy was standing right in front of them. Sanji had practically crawled out of the closet and sprinted away, knowing he couldn't be caught now. He knew by the surprised grunt from Zoro and shrill scream from Nami that they were both goners.

His feet carried him down into the basement, which thankfully this time was fully lit, and he spotted the two captains tied up in chains. He did his best to ignore the hideousness that lied in the basement, but the smell was enough to make him gag. He removed the chains as fast as he could, knowing he didn't have a lot of time. He could hear loud thuds from upstairs, meaning the man was bringing Zoro and Nami down to join the captains.

"Luffy, Law, snap out of it! We have to finish this!" He shook both of them, but they seemed to be too far gone. Nami was at least capable of talking. Sanji was starting to wonder if this man could control how deep the hallucinations were as well.

"Fuck, come on, wake up! He's coming!" Sanji even tried kicking them, but they seemed to be trapped in a completely different world. He heard heavy footsteps coming down stairs and decided to just drag both of them into a nearby closet, knowing it would only buy him a few extra seconds.

He didn't usually like using his hands, but he had to wake these two up. He punched Luffy square in the jaw, hoping it would be enough. But Luffy was hard to wake when he was just sleeping. He had no idea how this was going to work.

"You won't be able to free them, I hope you know that. I've got those two so out of it a nuclear bomb going off wouldn't be enough to get them back. Your friends here are in a similar situation, and soon you will be as well. So give up, would you? I'm eager to dissect all of my new subjects." Sanji jumped at hearing the man's voice, and he knew he was just on the other side of the door. He was trapped, and likely the only person who was in their right mind.

He was completely out of options.

"Fuck! Luffy, come on, we need you! Law, you have to snap out of it!" he desperately tried to wake them, but their eyes were focused on things Sanji couldn't see, faces pale in terror. Sanji remembered the last time Law had been like this. He'd kept muttering nonsense, but this time he was completely frozen. Sanji couldn't even imagine what he was going through.

"Law, you bastard, we needed you for this! I thought you were strong, but if you can't even snap out of this...you'll never stand a chance against Doflamingo." Sanji said, shaking the man one last time for good measure. He wasn't really expecting it to work, but Law's eyes flicked over to him, some of the cloudiness fading.

"Oh? Did that get your attention?" Sanji said, voice low as he leaned in closer. If he had to piss Law off in order to wake him up, Sanji would gladly do it. "You heard me. Doflamingo is a warlord, how are you ever going to defeat him when you can't handle someone like this? You're wasting your time. Why even go to Dressrosa? You'll only lose."

He noticed the muscles in Law's jaw tense, those golden eyes flashing dangerously. His entire body began shaking, and Sanji continued, knowing it was working.

"Oh, this is great. I've got a lot to say to you, Trafalgar, and you're stuck here with no other choice but to listen. I actually don't know where to start. You're such a bastard, and you're so full of shit, hiding behind that elaborate reputation of yours. I may not be able to read you, but I do know you're not the person you want everyone to think you are. No, you're a _coward_." Law's entire body seized at that, and he came back to reality with a gasp, eyes looking around frantically.

"Another closet, hm?" he said, still looking shaken from the hallucinations. He regarded Sanji with a nasty glare, remembering what the cook had just said to him.

"I was trying to help." Sanji raised his hands in defense although the shit-eating grin he wore probably didn't help his case. "It worked."

"Did it now?" Sanji jumped at the sudden voice, turning to see the man standing before them. It didn't register that the transparent blue film enveloping them was one of Law's rooms until the warlord was standing, albeit on shaky legs, with his sword drawn. Sanji knew he had to help, but before he could do anything, he felt a familiar feeling wash over him.

And then suddenly, he wasn't in the closet with Luffy and Law anymore. He was still in the basement, but chained up with the others, watching as the man cut his friends up and their severed limbs joined the others on the wall. He jolted as his stomach ripped itself open, thousands of spiders rushing out and consuming him. Everything was black for a second, until he was back in his hotel room with Law, the two of them pressed close together.

Only this time Law did kiss him, only to get stabbed in the back with his own sword. The man they were fighting was there, grinning at them as he cut Law open even more. Sanji screamed as Law's blood covered him, warm and sticky, the empty look in Law's shocked eyes haunting him. His head spun as Law's sword pierced into his chest, his heart beating frantically before it was suddenly being ripped from his body. Everything went black again, but like a never ending nightmare, he was thrown into another twisted scenario.

Law had his heart, but he had Sanji pinned to the floor and there was something deranged in his golden eyes. Sanji's entire body jolted as Law ripped a piece of his heart off with his teeth, blood oozing from his mouth. He nearly vomited as Law kissed him again, the taste of blood forcing its way into Sanji's mouth.

Law's sword still remained in his body, sticking out of the man's chest and digging into Sanji's. In a desperate attempt to get the man away from him, Sanji gripped the sword's hilt from behind Law and forced it down, splitting Law open even wider. Sanji's breathing became erratic as various organs spilled onto him, but Law only grinned wider, pieces of Sanji's heart hanging from his teeth.

Sanji screamed until his throat felt raw, pain and panic overwhelming him to the point where he wanted to pass out. But he stayed awake through it all against his own will.

His vision wavered, skin crawling as Law's blood drowned him. He couldn't breathe, his body shuddering as he tried to get air into his lungs. He felt something soft on his lips, the tenderness confusing him, but when he opened his eyes again he was still trapped beneath a bloody Law who was now ripping out chunks of his throat.

"L..aw..." he tried to speak, clinging to the imaginary Law tight.

"Your feelings for him are interesting." It was the man's voice speaking, but it came out of Law's bloody mouth. "I missed it last time, or perhaps it wasn't there. You two only recently had a moment together."

Sanji flinched, of course the man knew about that. No wonder Law was in his hallucinations this time.

"Bas...tard!" Sanji attempted to kick the man off of him, only to find that his legs were mere stumps. Seeing his weapons gone, illusion or not, was terrifying.

"You should see what goes on in _his_ mind. You might think this is bad, but let me tell you, the things he got to see were truly horrible. Coming from me, that means a lot."

"Shut up!" Sanji tried in vain to break free, the world spinning as he was suddenly back in the basement. Law was there as well, hanging limply in the man's grasp.

"How about I show you?" he asked, throwing Law's body over to Sanji and smirking. Sanji gasped as he was once again thrown into an alternate reality. This time Law was there, but he was much younger, at least ten or so. Sanji only recognized him by his hat. But he was surrounded by fire, destroyed buildings and dead bodies.

"Or perhaps you want to experience his pain first-hand?"

Sanji had experienced pain in his life, and his hallucinations thus far had been undeniably painful, but suddenly he was seeing things through Law's eyes and the pain he felt was excruciating like none other. He could see all of Law's fears, though some of it seemed like memories rather than illusions. Doflamingo was a large part of it, and Sanji had to experience getting killed a thousand times over by the warlord. Law seemed to fear him a great deal.

There was another blonde man, one Sanji didn't know, but the pain he felt in Law's body every time this man died was almost too much to bare.

And then finally, Sanji saw himself dying through Law's eyes. He saw himself do terrible things to Law, much like Sanji's previous hallucinations. He saw them kiss, and knew he wasn't the only one so affected by it.

Knowing Law had experienced all of that, and was currently trying to fight, made Sanji angry. He had to help. Mere illusions weren't enough to keep him down, and it was time for him to break free. If Law could do it despite all of that, then so could Sanji.

Part of him felt the need to protect Law. Some of what Sanji saw were actual memories, not illusions, and they had truly broken Law's heart. He supposed he could understand why the warlord was such a bastard now. Plus, knowing Law had actual feelings for him was more than enough to snap him out of it.

Sanji finally woke to find a pair of golden eyes staring back at him.

"Mr. Blackleg, are you—" Sanji reacted before he was completely aware of his surroundings, smashing his lips against Law's and holding the man tight. He wasn't completely sure he was awake, but he didn't care. He was going off of pure adrenaline now.

"I'll be fine. Where is he?" Sanji asked, noting that they were once again in a closet. Honestly, the two of them constantly being in the closet together had to be a sign.

"He's..um..." Law seemed genuinely flustered, something Sanji secretly took pride in although now wasn't the time. "In the basement, still. I did what I could by myself, but unfortunately I need help. Your captain is still unreachable and you were the closest person I could get to."

"Right. Let's finish then, I'm tired of these damn illusions fucking me up. This...is real, right?" Sanji asked hesitantly, giving Law a once over to make sure there wasn't anything off about him. No deranged look, no sword sticking out of him, no blood or guts spilling out. Law looked normal, if not incredibly shaken up by everything. He looked tired, and was sporting a large would on his arm that was probably making him weak from blood loss.

"From what I can gather, yes. Although mentally, I'm no better off than you are at the moment."

"Well, let's just hope we're not completely fucked. I'd still like to wake Luffy up, since he'll be pissed if he doesn't get to finish this guy." Sanji said, knowing Luffy needed to be a priority right now. They somehow needed to wake him up without getting themselves caught.

"I suppose I could attempt to teleport him to us. Although in order for that to work, I have to visualize where he is, which is not something I'm very aware of right now."

"You don't know where he is?" Sanji asked, concern lacing his tone. They had all been in the basement, hadn't they? Or did Law need to know his _exact_ location?

"I have an idea, somewhat, but I was still pretty out of it before I managed to get away with you. It's worth a shot, though." Law replied, creating a room that flickered to life. Sanji knew he must be out of energy, and yet he still had to create a big enough room to cover both them and Luffy.

All it took was a flick of his wrist and Luffy was sitting before them, the bucket that had been there now gone. He looked around frantically, though Sanji knew he was still seeing illusions.

Now they just had to wake him up.

* * *

 **So glad I finished this early! I can't promise the next chapter will come so quick, but bare with me. Things are just getting good!**


	8. Chapter 8

"This isn't going well," Law said, watching as Sanji violently shook Luffy in an attempt to wake him up. Sanji knew it wouldn't be easy, Luffy was stuck in a deep, dark hole, and the captain was hard to wake regardless. They had limited time, though. If they didn't hurry they would all be fucked.

"That's an understatement," Sanji grumbled, pausing in his shaking to reevaluate. How the hell could he wake Luffy up? "I wish I had meat with me. Despite everything going on in his head right now, meat would probably still snap him out of it."

"There's plenty of rotting flesh downstairs." Law grimaced as soon as the words left his mouth. "Sorry."

"We're so fucking screwed," Sanji sighed, staring at Luffy as if that alone would wake him up, "Oi, Luffy, you can't be the pirate king if you stay like this."

Sanji wasn't surprised when Luffy didn't even react. It had worked with Law, but Luffy was evidently in a deeper hallucination than the other captain had been.

"He's going to find us soon enough. We'll have to fight him ourselves, unless your captain can wake up," Law said, and Sanji knew he was right. They couldn't wait on Luffy forever, and while he would undoubtedly be pissed when things were over, they had no other options.

"I know. We're going to win, one way or another. We'll just have to be faster than him," Sanji said, pausing as a loud thud broke through the silence of the house. He was closing in on them fast. For as confident as Sanji sounded, inside he knew they could lose. Both Law and himself were in no shape to fight, physically and mentally exhausted. Luffy showed no signs of coming to, and nobody else could help them.

Once again, they were fucked.

Still, Sanji stood albeit on shaky legs, prepared to fight with everything he had left. Law did the same, his sword unsheathed and a room ready at his hand.

The closet door opened with a bang, but standing before them wasn't the enemy. It was Noah, a frazzled look on his face.

"I set the house on fire, we have to go!" he shouted, grabbing Law by his oversized coat and pulling him out of the closet. Sanji gaped, too many questions wanting to escape his mouth at once.

"How the hell did you do that?! And what about everyone else?!" he shouted, hefting Luffy over his shoulder and following Noah back into the main room of the house.

"I wanted to help, and I'm good at burning things! I didn't realize they were all in the basement though!" Noah replied, a guilty look on his face. Sanji's heart nearly stopped beating as he made a run for the basement, trying to breathe through all the smoke.

"They're still _down_ here?!" he shrieked, skidding to a halt in the middle of the basement. He could barely see, but Zoro's hair caught his eye and he quickly started dragging them towards the stairs.

"That won't work, Mr. Blackleg! We don't have time, let me handle it!" Law shouted, creating an impossibly large room that he definitely did _not_ have the energy to make. Just as the ceiling above them started to cave in, they were all suddenly outside, landing in a heap a few feet from the burning house. Sanji looked around frantically, making sure everyone was accounted for, and sighed in relief. They were finally out of there, and the basement was finally destroyed. But they weren't out of the woods yet. There was one important person missing.

"Where did he go?" Law asked Noah, eyes trained on the smoldering house.

"I don't know. He was still in there when I came to get you, but I lost sight of him after that. Even with his powers, I don't know if he could survive that." Noah said, watching as the last of the house came crumbling down. It was a fairly large fire, Sanji was impressed Noah started it.

"If he was dead, wouldn't they all be back to normal?" Sanji asked, wondering why Luffy and the others were still out of it. Noah seemed to freeze, belatedly realizing that was true. But if he was still alive, where was he?

They were too focused on the house. Law suddenly made a pained noise, and when Sanji turned back to look he nearly stopped breathing. Noah gasped, eyes wide as blood dripped from Law's sword, sticking out of the captains abdomen. Sanji's mind flashed back to his hallucination from earlier, only this time it was real. Law coughed up blood, collapsing onto his knees as his sword was ripped back out of his body, leaving a gaping hole in its wake.

"Fuck, Law! You bastard!" Sanji lashed out, his legs blazing as he kicked the boss with all of his strength. It was a good hit, but in turn he felt himself slip into yet another hallucination.

He could have sworn he heard Luffy's enraged scream, and hoped it wasn't just an illusion.

* * *

"... _coming to_ … _nji_...Sanji?"

He blinked as Choppers concerned face registered in his foggy mind, gasping as he jolted up. He was in some sort of hospital, but he had no idea how he'd gotten there.

"What happened?" he asked, rubbing his aching head. Zoro and Nami were there as well, looking fairly healthy if not a little scratched up.

"Luffy lost his shit after Law went down, he finished it pretty quick. We had to get Law some help, and you needed some patching up too, so we came here." Zoro explained, looking like he needed medical attention as well. But knowing Zoro, he'd rejected any help.

"Fuck," Sanji flopped back down, feeling oddly groggy, "How long have we been here?"

"Two days." Chopper said, and Sanji nearly shrieked. How had he slept for two whole days?

"Is everyone okay? Fuck, Law got stabbed, how is he alive?" Sanji asked, remembering the look of shock as the surgeon realized what had happened.

"His sword missed his vital organs, thankfully. He hasn't woken up yet, but he'll be okay. Everyone just needs to rest now." Chopper explained, and it was then that Sanji noticed how tired the reindeer looked.

"That includes you too, Chopper. This place has it's own doctors, right?" Sanji asked. Chopper looked guilty, and Sanji knew the answer.

"Yes, but they were a little overwhelmed by us suddenly coming here with so many injuries. There's only one doctor since the island isn't very populated, and a handful of nurses. I had to help them, Sanji."

"Yeah, but it's been two days. I'm sure they can handle it by now with all of us stabilized," Sanji said, watching as Chopper rubbed his eyes and hopped down from the chair he was sitting on.

"I guess I could use a nap, but after that I'm going to check on everyone again." Sanji watched as the small doctor left the room, yawning cutely as he did so. They were lucky to have Chopper with them, but the reindeer pushed himself too far sometimes.

"So, what happened to that asshole? I'm assuming Luffy really gave it to him." Sanji asked, wishing he could have been conscious to see that.

"We were all pretty messed up at the time, but from what I can remember Luffy really let him have it. When I finally snapped out of it, that guy wasn't even breathing anymore. Luffy was passed out, but he didn't seem to have any major wounds," Zoro replied, looking a little too serious for Sanji's liking.

"He killed that guy? That's not like him," Sanji said, a cold feeling settling itself in his stomach. Luffy almost always left their enemies alive, so for him to actually kill someone was concerning.

"He was in a really deep illusion, but for some reason seeing Law get run through broke him out of it. He must really like the asshole." Zoro didn't look very happy about that, but eventually the swordsman would have to accept the fact that Luffy trusted Law without hesitation.

"Well, at least its all finally over. Now we can leave, right?" Zoro and Nami looked at each other, and Sanji felt his heart drop. "What is it?"

"We _could_ leave, except...Luffy hasn't woken up yet, either. Both he and Law are in pretty critical condition."

"But you said he didn't have any major wounds?" Sanji was confused. It wasn't like Luffy to be unconscious for so long, especially when they could finally move on to Dressrosa.

"He had some. Most of it's mental. He was in a deeper illusion than anyone else, for a long time. Seeing Law like that sure as fuck didn't help. The doctors say he'll wake up when he's ready, but it could take a while. I guess it's his body's way of dealing with it."

"Fuck." Was all Sanji could say. He was so ready to leave the island and everything that happened on it behind.

"We could leave even if he's unconscious, but for Law's sake..." Nami trailed off, glancing across the hall into another room.

"It's best if we stay until he's better." Sanji agreed, eyes focused on the hallway. He had the urge to go check on the two captains, but the idea of getting out of bed sounded terrible. His body was still sore, and mentally, well...he wasn't sure how he was going to cope with everything. That had been one of the most unpleasant foes they've ever had to fight.

"We'll give it a few more days. If they still haven't woken up, we'll leave. Now, if you all don't mind, I want to go look at my treasure some more," Nami said, grinning as she left the room. Zoro sighed, all of that trouble had been for treasure.

"Leave it to the sea-witch to get us into this mess," Zoro grumbled, sitting heavily on the empty bed next to Sanji's. Sanji knew he had to be hurt, but Zoro would never show it.

"Oi, don't call her that. She had no idea what it entailed. All that matters is that we can finally move on," Sanji said, yawning as he felt sleep pulling at his eyelids. After sleeping for two days, he really wanted to stay awake for a while, but his body had other plans.

"Yeah, sure. Get some sleep, dartboard-brow."

Sanji muttered some sort of insult before falling asleep yet again.

* * *

"You do realize this isn't necessary, right?" Sanji asked, grinning sheepishly as Carol handed him bag after bag full of food.

"Nonsense, you and your friends saved our island and brought Noah back to us. I'm finally back in charge here, so if I want you to have free food you're gonna get it," Carol replied, handing him one final bag and smiling at him. She had insisted on returning to the grocery store despite her health being far from where it should be. Her stomach had shrunk after not eating for so long, and she needed to gain weight. But she still acted like she was in top shape.

"Thank you, really. We all appreciate it," Sanji said, looking back at Zoro who nodded in agreement. They were finally leaving, and as a going away present the town gave them far too much food. Sanji wondered how they would replace that much. On top of that, they didn't have to pay the inn's bill. Nami was ecstatic.

The others were all waiting on the ship, having said their goodbye's already. Law was on strict bed rest, and Luffy needed to be carefully monitored as well. All of their mental states were in need of repair, but none more than Luffy's. The captain hadn't been acting like himself since waking up. He'd often stare blankly off into space, and he was more clingy than usual. Especially with Law, who was acting more or less like his usual self. A bit jumpy, perhaps, but he really hadn't been awake much. Sanji wondered how he would be once he was healed.

"I wish we had more to give you. This village wouldn't have made it if you all hadn't come through. Those people were sick, and I'm worried about Noah. A child shouldn't have to see that." Carol trailed off, but was quick to put a smile back on her face. "We're alive, that's all that matters."

"He's a good kid. I'm sure he'll be fine." Sanji agreed, although he still couldn't understand why Noah was so fascinated with Law.

But then, he wasn't really one to talk.

He _had_ been planning on confronting Law about that night, but he'd decided that during the heat of the moment when he thought he would die. Now that things were settled, he was having second thoughts.

"You kids be careful out there, okay? I'll look for you in the newspapers!" Carol yelled as they carried the large amount of groceries to the ship.

"We'll try!" Sanji replied, grinning as they boarded Sunny. Sanji couldn't wait to put all of his new ingredients away and finally leave. The people were nice, sure, but the experience was one Sanji would like to forget.

But he still had one pressing issue to deal with. They had kissed on that island, and as much as Sanji wanted to pretend it never happened, he couldn't. He _should_ confront Law…

But he wasn't going to. Not yet, anyways. He had some things to figure out first, because he'd had plenty of revelations in that house, and now it was time to deal with them. What he wanted from Law was something he'd never imagined wanting from a man. And Law wanted him, too, it had been obvious that night.

Fuck, he had a lot to think about.

* * *

 **Sooo sorry for the long wait, life has really been kicking my ass lately and I haven't had time to do much. I can't say when the next chapter will come out, but I'm not giving up on this. Thanks to all who still like it, y'all are patient! I do hope you continue reading, but with my updates being so inconsistent, I wouldn't blame anyone for giving up on it. I'm going to try to squeeze out another chapter today but we'll see! Anyways, thanks for the support thus far, you guys are awesome!**


	9. Chapter 9

It had been a tense twenty-four hours of sailing, and they still had four days before reaching Dressrosa. Their mental states had suffered on that island, and now they were dealing with the after effects. Some of them were handling it quite well. Brook seemed relatively normal, as did Franky and Zoro. Chopper couldn't sleep, but otherwise was fairing okay enough. Nami was obviously still perturbed by everything, but she hadn't been under his power for very long like the others. Usopp was more jittery than usual.

Robin...well, Sanji could never really tell what the woman was feeling. Law bared a striking resemblance to Robin in that sense. The two of them acted as if everything were completely fine. Sanji wasn't sure what kind of experience Robin had, but he _knew_ Law went through hell a thousand times over. Sanji still remembered what that man said. To think, some of those illusions were actually Law's memories.

Luffy was still completely out of it, even his _appetite_ was off, which was pretty scary. Sanji had no idea what to do about it, because Luffy _always_ had an appetite. Whatever he'd seen must have been terrible. Sanji's mind instantly thought of Ace, and his heart dropped. He couldn't imagine what that must have been like. It made sense now, though, why Luffy reacted so strongly to seeing Law get stabbed. Luffy would never let a friend die, _especially_ after Ace.

As for Sanji, well…

"You seem stressed, Sanji-kun," Nami said, snapping him out of his thoughts. Sanji knew he probably looked terrible. He holed himself away in the galley as soon as they left the island, and had been thinking of new recipes ever since. He needed to keep his mind busy, or else he'd go insane. The illusions he'd been forced to go through were still fresh in his mind, as well as the horrors in the basement. He couldn't _fathom_ how someone could be so sick in the head.

And then there was Law, who was still on his mind constantly.

The man hadn't spoken to him, although he _was_ stuck in the infirmary and Sanji refused to leave the kitchen. Surrounding himself with food and cooking was the only thing that kept him from losing it. He went through a few packs of cigarettes already, chain smoking like his life depended on it. At this rate he'd run out.

Nami looked at him, frowning in concern, and he realized he should probably say something. "Forgive me, my dear. I'm just...processing. That island..."

"Ugh, I know, I haven't stopped thinking about it. I'm glad I got my treasure and all, but still...that's more than what we're used to seeing," she shuddered, sipping the drink Sanji had made for her. He nodded in agreement, that was _definitely_ more intense than usual.

"At least it's over. Now we just have to get everyone back to normal," he sighed, wishing it could be as easy as it sounded. He almost _missed_ Luffy yelling about food all the time, he wanted their normal captain back. But he knew it would take time.

"That includes you, Sanji-kun. You're acting just as strange as Luffy right now," Nami gave him a pointed look, one that said she knew something else was going on. But that couldn't be possible. There was no way she could know about Law.

"I can't even tell you how many times that bastard got me. That power of his was too much to handle, I hope nobody ever finds that fruit."

"I'm glad I didn't have it so bad. What I saw was bad enough, I can't imagine how it could get worse," Nami shook her head, and Sanji grimaced.

"You don't want to know."

Nami regarded him for a few seconds before shaking her head, "No, I don't. But you should really try to get some fresh air, Sanji-kun. Staying cooped up in here all day won't make you feel any better."

"You're right, my dear," Sanji sighed, knowing he should at least take a shower. He could use a few hours sleep, too, but he already knew that wouldn't happen. Every time he closed his eyes all he saw was gore and Law, two things he didn't need to think about.

But, a shower would be a good start.

* * *

Later that night, Sanji found himself in the observation room with Nami and Usopp, the latter having the first shift of watch duty. Sanji felt marginally better after a shower, but he'd tried taking a nap and everything went downhill from there. He'd have to get used to the nightmares. But, listening to Nami and Usopp gossip always lifted his spirits. That is, until their gossip shifted to Law.

"Luffy says he's getting better. I guess he used his powers too much and that's why he's still bedridden, but I think it's from his wound. I mean, that guy has a pretty long sword, it had to cause some serious damage," Nami said, looking over a few of her maps.

"I still can't believe he let the guy stab him. I mean, it must have happened pretty fast for someone like Law to not notice, but you'd think he would have felt his sword being taken," Usopp said, working on some trinket. Sanji stared blankly at the wall, wishing their conversation would shift to something else.

"What do you think about him, Sanji-kun? You spent the most time with him on that island," Nami asked, regarding Sanji with that same knowing look again. It was starting to creep him out.

"He's a bastard. Strong, sure, but I still don't know if he's trustworthy." It was a lie, sort of. Sanji knew they could trust Law, and he did, for the most part. But his own personal feelings toward the man were conflicting. Not to mention the fact that Law didn't _want_ them to trust him, for whatever reason.

"Well, he helped me get out of that house when I found my treasure, so I say he's a good guy. He helped all of us, actually. Without him, we could have been burned alive."

"Morbid, Nami! That's something I would expect from Robin. But you're right, he did save us all. He's still really scary though," Usopp said, shuddering as he glanced down to the deck. "Hey, look, Luffy just came out of the infirmary."

"He really likes Law. I've never seen him like this before," Nami said, giving Sanji a pointed look before sticking her head out of the window and yelling for Luffy to come join them. Sanji gulped nervously. Nami definitely knew something, and he couldn't figure out how she would know. Was he being obvious?

"What are you guys doing up here?" Luffy asked, still a far cry from his usual, loud self.

"Gossiping. How's Law? Is he ever going to come out of there?" Nami asked, letting Luffy sit basically on her lap. They were used to him being clingy, but this was a whole new level. Everyone was just going with it at this point.

"Chopper said his wound is healing good. He's just been sleeping, but he should be up and walking by tomorrow," Luffy replied, staring at whatever Usopp was working on. Then his eyes suddenly shifted to Sanji, and the cook knew whatever he would say next wouldn't be good.

"He talks about you sometimes, when he's awake. He said you saved him. You haven't gone to check on him, have you Sanji?" Luffy asked, and Sanji wished he would stop looking so serious. It just wasn't natural coming from Luffy.

"I didn't want to disturb him," Sanji shrugged, wondering if Law was going to be their main focus all night. Just thinking about the captain drove Sanji insane.

"You saved him, eh? I thought he was a bastard?" Usopp grinned mischievously, and Sanji wondered if everyone on the ship knew about his feelings towards Law somehow.

"He is, but he's still our ally and we needed his help. I didn't do much, anyways, he would have been okay without me."

"That's not how he made it sound," Luffy said, frowning even more if possible, and Sanji felt himself getting nervous. Was he being paranoid, or did all _three_ of them know something? He doubted Law would tell anyone what happened, so how would they know?

"Yeah, well, he saved my ass a few times too. I just wanted to make it even."

"Just admit it, Sanji-kun, you like him," Nami said, giggling with Usopp. Sanji felt his entire face go red, wondering what Nami meant by that. But, his red face made the two of them stop giggling and stare at him in disbelief.

"Uh, Sanji, I've never seen you blush over a guy before. Usually you only do that for girls. Are you feeling okay?" Usopp asked, reaching across to feel Sanji's forehead.

"I'm fine, you idiot, I don't know what you're talking about," Sanji batted him away but knew his face was only getting redder.

"Aw, Sanji-kun, that's so cute! You're finally realizing that you like-"

" _Shh_ , Nami, we promised we wouldn't mention _that_ in front of him!" Usopp clapped a hand over Nami's mouth, the navigator pushing him away with a huff.

"He's obviously figuring it out on his own, why not talk about it? We totally predicted this anyways, I just thought it would be Zoro," Nami replied, crossing her arms and returning her attention to Sanji, who couldn't be more confused.

"Uh, what are you guys talking about? What exactly am I figuring out here?" he asked, not quite sure if he really wanted the answer. Both Nami and Usopp grinned, and Luffy just stared at him like the answer should be obvious. Which was concerning, because if even _Luffy_ knew about it then it couldn't be good.

"That you like guys, of course. We were wondering how long it would take you," Nami replied. Sanji's jaw hit the floor, his face erupting in a rather impressive blush. He was silent for a whole three seconds before he lost it, trying to comprehend what he was hearing.

"You think I'm _gay_?! And _what_ about Zoro?!" he shrieked, tears streaming down his face in rivers when he realized Nami really thought of him that way. "My sweet flower, don't you know that I find women, especially you, to be delicacies?"

"Yeah, I think _you_ think that you like women. But honestly, Sanji-kun, you can't do much of anything with women without getting all...you know," Nami wiggled her fingers, referencing to Sanji's amazing ability to turn into a noodle in front of a pretty face.

"Not to mention the nose bleeds. Seriously, I don't know how you would ever get a girlfriend, it just made sense that you secretly liked guys. I mean...what other options do you have?" Usopp said, shrinking back when Sanji glared at him.

"I _can_ get a girlfriend! And I _don't_ like guys!" Sanji yelled, although in the back of his mind he knew they were right, sort of. Plus, he'd never actually had a relationship with a woman, so they did have a point.

"You sure seem to like Law. Sanji-kun, you're _always_ watching him. I noticed when he first joined us, and it only got worse on that island. Plus, you guys _did_ share a room, and he _is_ pretty hot...or at least, Robin says he is. I wouldn't know," Nami said, giggling even more at Sanji's reaction.

"What do you mean...you wouldn't know, Nami-swan?" Sanji asked, feeling a dark cloud form around him. In the back of his mind, he knew what she meant. Nami always did get more attached to girls, and not once shown any interest in the opposite sex. He'd always known, but never wanted to believe it because of his own selfish fantasies.

"Oh come on, Sanji-kun, I'm obviously attracted to girls. Don't you remember when Vivi was with us? At least I'm not the only gay person on this ship anymore," Nami said, swatting Luffy's hand away when he tried playing with her hair. The captain obviously wasn't even listening to their conversation.

"I'm _not_ gay! Not for Law, and _especially_ not for Zoro! That's just...we're always fighting, how can you _possibly_ think there's anything deeper there?!" he screeched, horrified at the mere idea. Although...Zoro wasn't the worst person to look at, as annoying as he might be. "Gah, no! That's just wrong!"

Usopp burst out laughing, as did Nami, and Sanji knew his face had to be as red as a tomato by now. To think, his friends had been thinking of him like this behind his back all this time.

"That's kind of why we thought you two would hook up. With all that fighting, it just seemed like there was some unresolved sexual tension between you two. But, Zoro's about as sexually aware as Luffy here. Not even a little. So, we have two gays and two aces with us now. Er, three gays, counting Law." Usopp counted on his fingers, and Sanji's jaw dropped again.

"Okay, if you seriously think _Law_ is gay then I'm leaving right now. That guy is just...he's so..." Sanji trailed off, trying to find a suitable word.

"Dark, mysterious, and handsome? We already know how you feel about him, Sanji, you don't have to explain it to us. I guess that's your type," Usopp said, causing Nami to burst out giggling again. Sanji didn't even regret kicking him for that.

"That's not what I was going to say! He's got such a huge stick shoved up his ass, he has no idea how to act like a regular human being, I don't even think he has all of the same emotions that we do! All he does is walk around with this giant dark cloud hanging over him! What about him says _gay_ to you?!"

"The fact that he stares at your ass like it's a three-course _meal_?" Usopp said from the floor, nursing his bloody lip from Sanji's shoe.

 _That_ certainly shut Sanji up for a few seconds before he lost it all over again.

" _HE WHAT?!_ "

"You really haven't noticed? Honestly, you two spend so much time eye-fucking each other, I'm shocked you haven't gotten caught yet." Nami added, laughing as Sanji fell to the floor with tears once again streaming down his face like waterfalls.

"Why, Nami-swan? Why are you doing this to me?" he whimpered, kicking Usopp who tried to comfort him.

"I'm just helping you come to terms with this, Sanji-kun. You would have realized it eventually. Or maybe you already have and just don't want to accept it?" she gave him a knowing look that had him even more upset, because she was right. This wasn't news to him. His attraction towards Law had already reared it's ugly head.

"But...but I love women. If I _could_ date one I would. Law is just...he doesn't feel the same, I can tell you that much already."

"Oh? How do you know that? Unless something happened between you two already..." Nami trailed off, jaw dropping when Sanji remained silent. "Something happened?!"

Sanji knew he wouldn't be able to get out of this, not when the two biggest gossipers were blocking his only exit. So, he took a deep breath and told them everything that happened on that island, including the fact that Sanji had kissed him when he thought they would die.

"You _kissed_?! I can't believe you kissed him like that! And he didn't try to cut you up for it?" Usopp asked, looking terrified by the mere prospect.

"It took him off-guard, I honestly didn't even know if it was him or an illusion at the time. It seemed like he wanted it, but then he acted like nothing ever happened, so I don't really know what to think now. I _was_ going to confront him on the island, but with everything that happened...and now I don't even want to see him. It's just...too weird."

"You _have_ to talk about it with him. He did want it, he's just hiding from his feelings now. Kind of like you are," Nami pointed out, "So talk to him when he's feeling better. If you don't, I'll raise your debt."

"But what do I say? It's so awkward...plus, he might just try to kill me. He looked pretty pissed that night."

"Well yeah, you pissed him off before things got hot and steamy, remember?" Nami asked, causing him to blush yet again.

"You know he likes you back, or at least his _you-know-what_ does. I mean, you said it yourself, he was _hard_. That's pretty much a dead give away, Sanji, you of all people should know that." Usopp added, this time laughing as he was kicked, because embarrassing Sanji was just too easy.

"Shut up. I'll talk to him, alright? Can we just drop this conversation finally?"

"I think it's good that you like him, Sanji. He needs someone like you." Luffy said, speaking for the first time since they started attacking the cook. "I may not understand sex, but I do understand caring about people. He likes you, too, he's just stubborn."

"How do you know?" Sanji asked, wondering what Luffy could possibly have to add to this topic. He knew Luffy was perceptive, he just never really thought the captain noticed these kinds of things.

"He's mentioned your name when he sleeps. Plus, the way he talks about you is different. And even _I've_ noticed him staring at your butt, and I don't see him doing that with anyone else. He likes you, Sanji, he's just good at hiding what he feels. Just talk to him."

"How often does this guy stare at my ass?!"

Luffy grinned, which kind of surprised all of them, because it was something he hadn't done in far too long.

"I feel better. Seeing Sanji so nervous is pretty funny, _shishishi_!"

"I'm not nervous, dammit!"

* * *

The next day came too fast. Sanji didn't get one second of sleep, there was just way too much going on in his mind. Everything that happened on the island, plus his conversation from last night and the fact that he had to talk to Law now was too much to deal with.

Still, he got up at the crack of dawn and cooked breakfast like usual.

But as the day progressed, he felt worse and worse. They were sailing through a hot spot, and the temperature was unbearable. He was exhausted and nervous, and over-heating despite the fact that he was only wearing swimming trunks, much like everyone else. The girls were in their bikinis, something Sanji would normally have a nose bleed from. But today, his nose was bleeding for an entirely different reason.

"It's not _fair_ ," he whined, staring out one of the portholes from his kitchen and nursing his still heavily bleeding nose. From his position, he had a perfect view of a certain someone, stretched out on the deck wearing nothing but some borrowed trunks. Even his sword and hat were gone. It was the most naked Sanji had ever seen him, and the timing couldn't be worse.

"You're supposed to be talking to him, not ogling him like a pervert," Usopp said, having come into the kitchen to get some ice cold water. When he'd seen Sanji bleeding all over himself, he knew he had to intervene.

"How can I talk to him when he's like _that_?! He just started walking again, he shouldn't be allowed to do that!" Sanji said, watching as Luffy stretched his arm into a giant spoon-looking- _thing_ and doused everyone with ocean water, including Law, who created a room and separated Luffy's arms from his body. Still, it left the surgeon dripping wet, and Sanji's nose practically erupted blood.

"Oh, God, now you'll never be able to talk to him," Usopp grumbled, having seen enough of Sanji making a fool of himself.

Sanji couldn't form a coherent response, but he did kick Usopp out of the kitchen.

Once he was alone, he dragged himself away from the window and sat heavily at the table, tissues shoved up his nose. He needed to get it together. He couldn't act like that with Law, the surgeon would never allow it, and it was just embarrassing. But Law was hot, he couldn't deny it anymore. He'd never wanted someone so badly in his life, Sanji was very in touch with his sexual side, and now that he'd come to terms with liking Law his libido was on board too.

"Fuck, this so isn't fair," he muttered to himself, picking an ice cube from his cup of water and rubbing it across his neck. He needed to cool down, and it wasn't just because of the weather.

"What would you be referring to, Mr. Blackleg?"

The sudden voice made him jump, his ice cube sliding across the floor and coming to a stop in front of none other than Law. His mind went blank for a second, and he had to force himself to look away because fuck, Law was even hotter up close.

"Uh, the heat. It's not fair that it has to be so hot." Sanji had no idea how he pulled that lie out of his ass so fast, but Law didn't seem suspicious so he assumed it worked.

"Mm, I have to agree with you. Your captain thought so, too, and nearly flooded the ship," Law grumbled, walking past Sanji to get his own cup of ice water. Sanji's eyes followed him like a hawk hunting prey, watching the way his ass moved in those trunks. If Law was so fascinated with his behind, Sanji would surely return the favor.

"Did he now? I'm guessing that's why his arms are attached to the mast?" Sanji asked, eyes snapping back to the table when Law turned around.

"He can get them back when I deem necessary. Honestly, for a devil fruit user you'd think he would be more careful around water," Law said, leaning against the counter as he drank his water. Sanji did his best not to watch, because he knew what would happen if he did. Sure enough, one drop of water escaped Law's mouth and slid down his jaw before the surgeon wiped it away. Something as small as that nearly had Sanji passing out.

"Yeah, Luffy's not exactly what you'd call 'careful'."

"Hm, you don't seem to be either. That's quite a bit of blood," Law remarked, raising an eyebrow when Sanji slapped a hand over his nose. He'd forgotten about the tissues shoved up his nostrils, and realized he must look like an idiot.

"Oh. Yeah. It's nothing, the heat just...makes my nose bleed, is all." That lie was obvious, and he knew he wouldn't be getting away with it.

"I see. I suppose it has nothing to do with your female crew mates' attire?" Law asked. Sanji damn near started laughing, because for once, it had nothing to do with the ladies. Law was seemingly unaware of his _own_ attire, the swim trunks riding dangerously low on his narrow hips, his lean body still wet from earlier. Sanji's eyes trailed over his abs before he realized he should probably say something.

"That's absurd. What they're wearing doesn't affect me at all." Sanji really _did_ want to laugh, because for once he could say that and not be lying. Sure, the girls still looked beautiful, but with Law walking around like sex on legs, he couldn't really focus on them.

Still, Law had no reason to believe him. "Whatever you say, Mr. Blackleg. Still, you have the right idea staying indoors. I would have liked to stay in your infirmary, but your captain had other plans."

"Speaking of, how's your wound? It looks like it's healing well." It was impossible to not notice the scar on Law's stomach, even if Sanji _wasn't_ ogling him.

"It is, your doctor truly is talented. Luckily, none of my vital organs were hit, so it shouldn't cause me any problems. I simply used too much of my energy."

"Well, you've got a short amount of time to recover. Dressrosa is only three days away," Sanji said, that thought making his stomach twist. That meant they only had three days to figure this _thing_ out between them. His time with Law was limited, and yet he still wanted to pursue...whatever it was he wanted from the man. Mostly sex.

"I'll be fine. I've been preparing for Dressrosa for half of my life, one minor wound won't stop me." Sanji raised a swirled eyebrow, because he _knew_ there was a damn good story behind that, but Law didn't seem inclined to elaborate and Sanji sure as hell wasn't one to pry.

"You call getting stabbed _minor_? You warlords are something else," Sanji grinned, feeling relieved when Law did the same. They were on good terms, at least. But in the back of his mind Sanji knew it wouldn't last. He had to confront Law, but doing it now felt wrong. Not when Law was finally back on to speaking terms with him. Sure, he was pretending like nothing happened, which was irritating. But for now, Sanji could allow it.

Inevitably though, he would have to have a very hard conversation with the man.

* * *

 **So, I actually managed to get this done in a week. I'm on a roll lately, so hopefully I can keep writing while I have the chance. I'll be working more soon, so we'll see how it goes. But one way or another, I'll finish it! Thanks for all the reviews!**


	10. Chapter 10

"Let me get this straight. You _didn't_ talk to him about it?"

Sanji somehow found himself trapped in the observation room again that night, with a none too pleased Nami and Usopp. Plus the addition of Zoro who, quite frankly, had no idea what the fuck was going on.

"I couldn't! He was finally talking to me again, and it was like nothing ever happened. I couldn't ruin that," Sanji groaned, because he actually sort of regretted putting it off. Now he just had to wait _longer_ to ruin everything, which didn't really feel any better.

"So you chickened out," Usopp said, holding his hands up in defense when Sanji glared at him, "Well, you did!"

"Uh, is anyone going to explain what's going on here, because none of this makes any sense," Zoro said, looking between the three of them in confusion.

"Sanji finally realized he's gay and now we're trying to get him to confront Law about his feelings."

Sanji could practically _see_ Zoro's brain shut down, his face going completely blank as he processed things. At first, Sanji thought they might actually have broken him, until he finally glanced up at the cook.

"You're gay. For Trafalgar."

"Yeah..." Sanji replied hesitantly, not quite sure how Zoro would react.

Zoro blinked at him, mulling that over before asking another question, "Since when? Thought you were a ladies man, shit-cook."

"Oh come on Zoro, you can't honestly say you've never considered him being gay. He can't even _be_ around women without turning into a moron! Er, no offense, Sanji..." Usopp trailed off, backing away as Sanji leveled him with yet another glare.

"I don't usually think about that kind of stuff. But I guess I'm not all that surprised," Zoro smirked at him, easily dodging Sanji's foot seconds later. "So...Law?"

"Yeah. Law." Sanji slid back down onto the floor, wishing he would have just talked to Law like he was _supposed_ to.

"You're not one to keep your mouth shut, cook. Just tell him whatever it is you want, it can't be that hard for someone as annoying as you," Zoro nudged him, and Sanji almost laughed, because if even _Zoro_ was giving him relationship advice, he must really be screwed.

"Yeah, _thanks_. I'll do it tomorrow for sure, I can't keep putting this off," Sanji sighed, feeling exhausted after such a long day. He needed to get some rest, since he had second watch tonight after Zoro.

"Who knows, Sanji-kun? It could go really well. Maybe you'll get to kiss him again," Nami grinned at him, laughing as Sanji's face turned bright red.

"I didn't need to hear that," Zoro grumbled, causing Nami to laugh even more.

"You should hear what _else_ they've done-"

"Shut _up_ , sea-witch!"

* * *

Sanji felt like he'd just fallen asleep when Zoro came to get him. He was in for a long night, and figured a cup of coffee was warranted. He ended up making far too much, but decided to leave it for the morning. Once he finished his cup, he climbed the ladder that lead to the observation room, unaware of the pair of eyes watching him from below.

He made himself comfortable on the bench, lighting up a cigarette and closing his eyes. He was beyond tired, the coffee did little to help, but he had to stay awake. If there were at least something to do, it wouldn't be so bad.

"Mind if I join you, Mr. Blackleg?"

He nearly dropped his cigarette at the sudden voice, heart hammering as he regarded Law with wide eyes. That was undoubtedly the _last_ thing he'd been expecting.

"God, you scared the fuck out of me." Sanji gripped his chest, trying to calm his frantic heart. Law smirked at him, not looking apologetic in the slightest. Sanji's heart beat even faster.

"Is that a yes?" he asked, walking over to Sanji and sitting next to him. Sanji tried not to notice how close he was, but then he smelled whatever the hell Law smelled like, and lost all rational thought. He didn't think the man wore any cologne, Law didn't seem like the type to care, but he smelled of something sweet. Whatever it was, it drove Sanji even further into insanity.

"You're already here, so I guess I don't mind," Sanji replied, internally losing his mind. He hoped to whatever God that existed his face wasn't red. More importantly, he wanted to know what Law was up to. It was _awfully_ late for Law to be awake, and the surgeon _was_ sitting pretty close to him.

"In all honesty, I came up here to talk to you about something." Sanji's heart was sure to explode, he just knew it. He wondered if Law was seriously about to bring _it_ up.

"Oh? What would that be?" he asked, feigning innocence even though he knew what was coming. To think, Law actually beat him to it. The surgeon _had_ seemed fine with ignoring it forever.

"There were...several things that happened on that island, and I think they need to be addressed. I've been waiting for you to have watch duty so we could discuss everything privately."

Sanji sighed, lighting up another cigarette because fuck, he wasn't expecting this to happen. "Where do you want to start?"

"I wanted to thank you for your help, first of all. You saved me several times in that house. I also wanted to apologize for my behavior at the inn. You and your crew are willing to trust me, and I do appreciate that. The feeling is certainly mutual, despite my instincts telling me not to trust anyone. As you said, we are in an alliance," Law sighed, and Sanji knew that wasn't easy for him to say. He was surprised Law was even apologizing for it. It seemed...out of character for him, or at least the person his reputation made him out to be. But Sanji already knew _that_ was all bullshit.

"Don't worry about any of that. I shouldn't have kept bothering you about it. You saved my ass too, you know, so consider us even," Sanji replied, swallowing nervously when Law gave him a look. He knew what was coming next.

"There are...other things that happened on the island that need addressed as well. I don't think I need to tell you what they are," Law said, and Sanji could have _sworn_ he was blushing, but it was hard to tell with his complexion.

"Uh, yeah, I know what they are. So..." Sanji trailed off, feeling like an idiot because he'd rehearsed what he wanted to say over and over again, but now he was drawing a blank.

"At the hotel...that wasn't what I had intended on happening. I let my anger get the best of me, but then...well, you know," Law cleared his throat, and Sanji actually found his nervousness kind of endearing. It did wonders to humanize Law in his eyes, and he knew he wasn't the only one feeling awkward.

"For the record, I wasn't expecting it either. I didn't...I _never_ could have planned that. As for the incident at the house..." Sanji had to stop to gather his thoughts, because being so close to Law while _talking_ about kissing him was damn near killing him.

"You did...know it was me, right? You had been hallucinating..."

" _Yeah_. Yeah, I knew it was you. Uh...this might sound creepy, but you were actually in a lot of my illusions. When I woke up and saw you, and not some fucked up version of you, I got a little...carried away. Sorry," Sanji ducked his head, knowing his face had to look ridiculous.

Law let out a little chuckle, which _certainly_ got Sanji's attention, because Law didn't do that very often. "You were in mine as well. That asshole saw everything we did with his powers, of course he would do something like that. But you don't need to apologize, it just...I wasn't expecting it."

"Heh, yeah, me neither. It was kind of a knee-jerk reaction, I guess. I was just glad to see you alive," Sanji said, freezing a second later when he realized how that sounded. His face turned several shades darker, and he wished he could just _not_ say stupid things like that, but his brain really wasn't working.

"If I'm being completely honest...I've never considered myself to be attracted to _any_ gender. But I've never really allowed myself to get close to anyone, so I guess I wouldn't know. The point is, you...are different, Mr. Blackleg, and it's taken me some time to come to terms with that. What I need to know is how you feel, and where to go from here," Law said, hiding behind the collar of his oversized coat and looking extremely uncomfortable.

"I'm the same as you. I mean, I've always been attracted to girls, but you're just... _different_. I can't explain it. According to _some_ people I've always been gay, though, so I guess this shouldn't be so surprising," Sanji grumbled, thinking back to his talk with Zoro. Even _he_ wasn't surprised. It still pissed Sanji off.

Law raised an eyebrow at him in confusion. "Who said that? I certainly never thought you were."

"Nami, Usopp, Zoro apparently agrees and Luffy…well, he wouldn't care anyways. But still! This whole time I thought I was straight," Sanji said, although in the back of his mind he knew that was a damn lie. He'd thought of it before, and had checked out plenty of men, including Zoro which _still_ disgusted him.

"You can be attracted to however many genders you like, and you certainly don't have to label it. As long as you're attracted to me..." Law trailed off, pushing his hat down further as his blush darkened. He obviously hadn't meant to say that out loud, and Sanji found it adorable, something he'd _never_ imagined thinking of Law as.

"I...I am, a lot actually. Uh, I mean…shit, how do I say this. We don't have a lot of time together, right? And neither one of us is stupid enough to want some sort of long term relationship, it's just not realistic. But...if you want to, I mean...we can keep it casual," Sanji hated himself for stumbling over his words, but he wasn't sure how to say it without offending Law.

"So fuck buddies, then? Because I can agree to that. That's really what I wanted from you anyways."

Sanji laughed, surprised at how easy it was to be on the same page as Law. He really didn't know much about the warlord, but somehow he knew they had similar thought patterns. "That's all I want from you, too. But, um, I've never really..."

"We're the same, then. I haven't either. So we'll take it slow," Law said, finally looking at Sanji who nodded in agreement. He was just starting to feel calm again when Law suddenly leaned in close and kissed him, the contact lasting only a few seconds before he stood to leave. Sanji sat frozen for a second, face beet red as he tried to process what had just happened. Law smirked at him, pleased at the effect he had on the cook.

"Goodnight, Mr. Blackleg," Law said before beginning his descent down the ladder. Sanji's fingers gently touched his lips, wondering if Law had actually kissed him or if he'd imagined it. Then, finally, his feet remembered how to move and he was following Law. He caught up to the man, spun him around, and pressed their lips firmly together. It only took the surgeon a second to respond, kissing him back and pulling Sanji closer.

It was better than anything Sanji could have imagined.

And then it was over, because they were taking things slow, even if it killed them. Which it did. Law looked like he didn't want to let go, and Sanji wanted nothing more than to kiss Law all night. But that would undoubtedly lead to more, and neither of them were ready yet. But fuck, Sanji sure as hell would be soon.

"Night," Sanji grinned, walking back to the ladder and burning Law's dazed face into his mind forever. He turned to look at the surgeon before climbing up, and grinned even more, because Law had _definitely_ been looking at his ass.

Now things would get interesting.

* * *

He was exhausted the next day, but his mood certainly didn't show it. He prepared a feast for breakfast, and knew he was smiling way more than usual. Nami and Usopp noticed immediately and confronted him when breakfast was over.

"You seem happy, Sanji-kun. Did something happen last night?" Nami asked, a knowing look on her face. Of _course_ something happened, Sanji had been staring at Law even more than usual.

"He confronted _me_ , actually. We talked, agreed on some things, and now we're...in a casual relationship."

"So fuck buddies?" she asked, giggling when Sanji blushed. "It's okay, Sanji-kun, you can say that around me. But that can't be all that happened. Tell me you guys kissed," Sanji made a face, and that was all Nami needed. "I was right!"

"Wow Sanji, I never thought I'd see the day. You have to tell Luffy, I bet it'll fix him," Usopp said, clapping Sanji on the shoulder.

"I have to tell Zoro, too, I bet he'll be thrilled," Nami laughed evilly as she went to find the swordsman, and Sanji wondered why she loved pissing the man off so much. Not that he was one to talk.

"Guess I'll go find Luffy."

* * *

He found his captain hanging onto Law, who looked rather uncomfortable but showed no signs of telling Luffy to get lost.

"Oi, did you tell him yet?" Sanji asked, sitting next to Law and effectively sandwiching the warlord between him and Luffy, just to make him more uncomfortable.

"No, I had assumed you would want to," Law replied, removing his hat and fluffing up his damp hair. They were still going through a hot spot, meaning he got to enjoy seeing Law nearly naked even longer.

"Tell me what?" Luffy asked, looking between the two and then grinning. "You did it, Sanji?"

"Actually he did," Sanji replied, grunting as Luffy stretched his arms to envelope both of them in a hug. The grin on his captains face was worth it.

" _Shishishi_ , that's great! We have to have a feast!"

"We just did, you glutton!" Sanji replied, grinning despite himself because he hadn't seen Luffy smile like that in too long.

"We have to do it again, nobody knew about this earlier! I have to go tell everyone!" Luffy said, flinging himself away to spread the news. Sanji just laughed, glad to see his captain back to normal.

"Well, that makes my job easier. Sorry, you don't care if everyone knows right?"

"Of course not. They would have found out eventually anyways," Law replied, eyes unabashedly trailing over Sanji's exposed form. "That's a nice look for you."

"Checking me out, hm? Although you should see yourself," Sanji smirked, leaning in closer to Law and letting his eyes wander, "You're driving me crazy."

Law gulped nervously, eyes glancing around the deck, "This is hardly the place for..."

"For what? Checking each other out? It's not like you haven't been doing it this entire time. They told me how _fond_ you are of my ass, you know," Sanji said, licking his lips as Law smirked at him.

"Really? I wasn't aware they knew. Perhaps I was too obvious. But _you've_ been watching me since I boarded your ship."

"Can you blame me? Fuck, Trafalgar, you're the only man I've ever found this attractive for a reason. You're just...really hot," Sanji said, eyes still traveling over Law's toned body.

"Yes, well, there are things about me that may change that perspective," Law said, sounding incredibly bitter all of a sudden, and Sanji wondered what caused such a change in his mood. Law stood abruptly, and Sanji wasn't sure if he should follow the man or not.

"I'll be in the kitchen, if you would like to continue this in private," Law said, giving him a sultry look that had Sanji jumping to his feet. He wondered what the sudden mood swing had been about, but Law didn't seem inclined to talk about it so he decided to let it go.

As he followed Law to the kitchen, he was admiring the warlord's tattoos on his back when he noticed patches of Law's skin seemed...lighter? It was almost impossible to see, but Sanji was almost positive they were there. He wanted to ask, but somehow got the feeling Law wouldn't want to talk about it.

He decided to worry about it later as they entered the kitchen. Law fetched himself a cup of water, aware of the fact that Sanji was watching his ass wherever it went.

"Enjoying yourself?" Law asked him, his deep, smooth voice sending a shiver down Sanji's spine.

"Very much, yes," Sanji replied, eyes tracing the tattoos on Law's chest. Law was quite literally a piece of art, the tribal style hearts suiting him oddly well. Sanji knew there was a story behind each one, but he could question Law about it later. Right now, he was interested to see where things were going.

He made himself comfortable on the couch, Law following his lead and sitting next to him, close enough that their legs touched. Sanji looked up at him, just now realizing how much taller Law was than him. Law's hand came to rest on the back of his neck and the next thing Sanji knew they were kissing again, only this time it lasted much longer. Sanji's hand gripped Law's leg as the surgeon's tongue swiped across his lips, quickly becoming addicted to the sweet taste in Law's mouth.

Unfortunately they still needed to breathe. When they broke apart Sanji realized he'd shifted into Law's lap, and if anyone were to walk in on them right now it wouldn't look good. Sanji chuckled nervously, sliding off of Law's lap and trying to calm down. At this rate he wouldn't be able to control himself.

"We should do this at night," Sanji said, knowing they would have less of a chance of being caught. At least then they could go as far as they wanted to.

"Are you sure nobody comes in here at night?" Law asked him, running a hand through his hair and fluffing it up.

Sanji thought it over and realized the kitchen _may_ not be the best place. "The aquarium, then. I can guarantee nobody will be in there."

"I'll meet you there after first watch starts." Law was evidently done with talking, because his mouth was back on Sanji's before the cook could process it.

He couldn't wait for the day to be over.

* * *

"Who's up there tonight?" Sanji asked as Law joined him in the aquarium, the dim light and blue shimmer from the water making the room oddly romantic. It was the perfect atmosphere for what they were about to do. Sanji wasn't completely sure what that _was_ , since Law had said they would take things slow. Whatever it was, it would be good.

"Miss Nico, I believe. I'm fairly certain she saw me come in here," Law replied, wearing his feathered shirt and missing his sword. His hat was there, but Sanji would change that soon enough.

"Eh, that's fine. Robin isn't the type to say anything anyways," Sanji reached up to take off Law's spotted hat, placing it gently next to them before straddling the man. After that, they were right back to where they left off, tongues sliding together as Sanji began unbuttoning his shirt.

Once his own shirt was off he helped Law strip, the surgeon pushing him down onto the bench and sucking on his neck afterwards. Sanji groaned, hips bucking against Law's in an attempt to find friction. They were both hard, and his mind flashed back to the island when Law had him pinned against the wall.

But thinking of the island at _all_ was a mistake. His illusions resurfaced, an image of Law on top of him with Sanji's heart in his mouth flashing across his mind. Sanji couldn't help but freeze, willing the memories to go away. Law noticed and sat back immediately, knowing something was wrong.

"What is it?" he asked, looking at Sanji with concern, something he wasn't used to seeing from Law.

"Nothing, I'm fine. Just a stupid memory," Sanji said, pulling Law back down against him. But the surgeon wasn't buying it.

"Mr. Blackleg-"

"Call me Sanji. At least when we do this, it's too weird otherwise."

"...Sanji, then. If something bothers you, I need to be aware of it. You _trust_ me, remember?" Law raised an eyebrow at him, as if expecting Sanji to deny that fact.

"Yes, I do, no matter what you try to tell me. I just...remembered something from the island, is all. Nothing worth talking about."

"Don't think about anything that happened there. Focus on right now, or we won't be able to do this," Law said, resuming his attack on Sanji's neck.

" _Hah_ , why don't you make me focus, Trafalgar?" he grinned, gasping as he felt Law's teeth scrape against his throat.

"Brat," Law smirked at him, leaning back to unbuckle Sanji's belt. Sanji bit his lip, letting the surgeon pull his slacks down and trying not to blush when Law stared at his clothed erection with something akin to hunger in his eyes.

"Hey, that's not fair, you're still wearing pants," Sanji said, pulling on Law's tight jeans for good measure.

"How far are we going, exactly?" Law asked, unzipping his pants and then hesitating. If Sanji didn't know any better, he'd say Law was nervous.

"As far as we want. If you're not comfortable with something, we can stop, and the same goes for me. You just have to tell me," Sanji said, wondering what could have made Law hesitate so suddenly. He was quickly learning that Law was rather unpredictable with his emotions.

"No, it's fine. This much is fine." Law sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than Sanji, but the cook let it go, focusing on Law who practically had to _peel_ his pants off. Sanji wanted to jump Law, trying not to stare at the impressive tent in the warlords boxers. He wanted to do _so_ much in that moment, but Law was still hesitant and Sanji needed to know why.

"Law, seriously, we don't have to do this. We're going slow, remember?"

"We don't have much time for that, Sanji. Dressrosa is days away," Law replied, moving away from Sanji and letting out a long-suffering sigh. Sanji sat up as well. Law clearly felt pressured, and for a good reason. They really didn't have a lot of time. But Sanji wouldn't allow him to force himself to do something.

"So? Law, I'm happy just being able to be with you like this. If we never get to sex, it's not the end of the world. If you don't want it, don't do it."

"I _do_ want it," Law said, an agitated edge to his voice now, "I've never done this before. Until I met you, I didn't even think I would _ever_ want something like this,"

"So we'll work up to it. We don't have to do everything tonight, Law. We can try this again tomorrow night," Sanji said, running his fingers through Law's fluffy hair, earning a satisfied hum from the man.

"Let me get you off, at least. I feel bad for making you deal with this," Law looked at him, his hand wandering up Sanji's thigh.

"If you're okay with that much, I won't say no. But can I return the favor?" he asked, Law giving him a cautious look in return. "Okay, but I'll owe you one, and don't even try to say no."

"I suppose I can agree to that," Law smirked, hooking one finger underneath Sanji's boxers and snapping the waistband, "Can these come off?"

Sanji nodded eagerly, quickly discarding his last article of clothing and looking anywhere but Law, because he just _knew_ the man was staring at him in all his naked glory. He only wished Law would do the same, but the surgeon wasn't ready yet and he could respect that.

"How would you prefer me to do this?" Law asked him, wrapping one arm around Sanji's shoulders and moving closer. Sanji thought about it and decided going as slow as possible tonight would be best.

"Your hand should be just fine," Sanji said, leaning in to suck on the surgeons neck. Law even _tasted_ good, Sanji wondered if everything about him was perfect.

Sanji jumped a bit when Law's hand suddenly wrapped around his cock, not used to the feeling of someone else touching him. But his nerves slowly melted away as Law began stroking him, thumb rubbing over his leaking slit. Sanji held it together as long as he could, but when Law's hand started flying over his cock he couldn't contain the sounds his body so desperately wanted to make. He moaned as Law licked a stripe up his neck, and then they were back to kissing, Law swallowing all of the delicious noises Sanji was making.

Sanji knew he wouldn't last long, but his release came sooner than he would have liked. Once his vision became less spotty, he flushed in embarrassment, because he'd made a mess all over Law's hand. The surgeon didn't seem to care, and by the twitching hardness between his legs, Sanji just knew he wanted to finish too.

"Are you sure you don't want help with that? I can get you off without looking, you know," Sanji said, knowing Law wasn't comfortable with being completely exposed. He couldn't blame the guy, it was nerve racking to allow someone to see you like that, especially for someone as reserved as Law.

Law regarded him for a moment, a hesitant look on his face, but eventually sighed in resignation. "As long as you don't look. I know it's stupid..." Law trailed off, looking angry at himself, and Sanji pulled him in for another kiss.

"Stop thinking like that, it's not stupid and I understand. I just want to make you feel good, but I won't look at anything you don't want me to."

"Very well. How should we do this, then?" Law asked, blinking as Sanji adjusted him on the bench.

"Here, just sit like this and I'll sit behind you." Sanji said, wrapping his arms around Law's chest in a backwards sort of hug. Their legs hung off the end of the bench, Sanji's hairy ones next to Law's smooth ones.

"I'm gonna let you take those off," Sanji said, turning his head away as Law stripped off his last piece of clothing. Sanji wished he could see, but he wouldn't dare look. Not when they've gotten this far.

"Good?" he asked, getting a quick nod from Law in return. "Okay, just tell me if you don't like something."

He couldn't _see_ what Law's dick looked like, but it certainly felt nice, not that he had much to compare it to. Sanji began stroking him, going slow at first and gauging Law's reaction. The man was stiff, too tense to really be enjoying anything. Sanji leaned in closer, teeth scraping across Law's bare shoulder, which earned him a tiny gasp. He licked a stripe up the back of Law's neck, sucking on a particularly sensitive spot. Law arched back into him, and Sanji could feel more pre-come ooze from his cock. Sanji slowly began to go faster, biting down on the junction between Law's neck and shoulder.

The pleasurable groan he got in return was enough to get him hard again, but right now he was focused on Law's cock, not his own. He'd found some sensitive spots on Law, and that was always worth noting.

"S-Sanji, I won't last long," Law panted, the back of his head resting on Sanji's shoulder. From this view, Sanji really _could_ see everything, but he kept his eyes averted anyways.

"Go for it," Sanji purred, nibbling on Law's earlobe and tasting the metal from his earrings. It only took a few more strokes for Law to spill his release, most of it covering Sanji's hand, some of it splattering over his tan chest. The surgeon panted for breath as he came down from his momentary high, leaning all of his weight back onto Sanji in exhaustion.

"Oi, you can't use me as a pillow. Help me clean up here," Sanji said, pushing the warlord away and standing. Law was quick to get his pants back on, wiping his own come off his chest and handing the tissue to Sanji.

"Consider this a trial. When we do this again, there won't be nearly as many complications," Law said, pulling his shirt back over his head and finding his hat. If Sanji didn't know any better, he'd say Law couldn't wait to be dressed again.

"We didn't have _complications_ , Law. You're new at this and so am I, it's going to take time."

"Time that we don't have. Before we reach Dressrosa, I'm going to fuck you, no matter what," Law growled, fists clenched at his sides. Sanji wasn't sure why he was so determined, or why he insisted on being down on himself.

"We'll work up to it, I agree. Believe me, I've been wanting you to fuck me for a long time," Sanji said, licking his lips at the mere prospect. Law's eyes followed the movement, and before Sanji knew it they were back to kissing. He didn't want Law to feel pressured, but the warlord had his mind set and Sanji knew he was stubborn.

Tomorrow night would be interesting.

* * *

 **Not completely happy with how this came out, but I'm glad it's done. Unfortunately I'm going to be working more hours, so I'm not sure when I'll have time to update again. But I'll try to make it soon! I'm definitely not going to give up on this, no matter how difficult it might get.**


	11. Chapter 11

The next day was uneventful. They had finally passed the heat wave, but that didn't stop Law from teasing the ever loving fuck out of Sanji. The surgeon wore nothing but his tight jeans, his sword and hat missing, and currently he was eating one of the ice-pops Sanji had made. But he wasn't just eating it, no, he was eating it as sexually as possible while looking directly at Sanji. They were the only two in the kitchen, Sanji was beyond tempted to tackle Law to the floor and see what his mouth could really do. But the others were likely to come in and Sanji wouldn't dare get caught.

"You're such a bastard," Sanji growled, eyes following Law's tongue as it slid up and down the popsicle. Sanji regretted ever making them.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Law replied airily, sucking lewdly on the fruity treat and smirking. Sanji quickly lit a cigarette, needing something to calm him down. Law was a cruel man.

"Just fucking wait until tonight," Sanji said, hissing as Law practically deep throated the ice-pop. "You shouldn't be so good at that."

"Why don't you come find out how good I really am?" Law said, a challenging look in his golden eyes. Sanji dropped the knife he was holding and grabbed Law roughly by the shoulders, his tongue tasting the sweetness in Law's mouth instantly. The surgeon grunted in surprise, the sound turning into a pleasurable groan as Sanji palmed the growing hardness between his legs.

"You're going to regret being such a fucking tease," Sanji said, nipping Law's lip and unzipping his pants.

"Do you really want to do this here?" Law asked, looking hesitant again, and Sanji realized what he was doing, quickly pulling his hand away.

"No. We should wait until tonight," Sanji said, reluctantly pulling away from Law. But the surgeon wouldn't let him go.

"Surely there's somewhere we can go."

Sanji thought about it, a grin slowly spreading over his face. He pulled Law out of his seat, knowing there was one place nobody would go. It would be a little cramped, but it would work.

* * *

"A storage room?" Law asked, looking around the small space which was full of spare food.

"It's private, at least," Sanji replied, yelping a little as Law suddenly kissed him, his back hitting the wall. He groaned as Law unbuttoned his pants and slipped his hand into Sanji's boxers, stroking his half-hard erection.

"I want to suck you off," Law said, nipping Sanji's neck and swiping his thumb over Sanji's leaking cock.

"Fuck, _yes_. I mean, if you're okay with that," Sanji panted, biting his lip as Law dropped to his knees, taking Sanji's boxers with him.

"I've never done it before," Law said, his tongue cautiously tasting the very tip of Sanji's flushed cock. Sanji watched with baited breath as the surgeon slowly took more of him into his mouth, groaning as the tight wetness enveloped him.

"You're doing pretty fucking great so far," Sanji said, hands gripping Law's shoulders as he began to suck, slowly getting used to the feeling. Sanji's throbbing cock was heavy in his mouth, the taste not completely terrible. Sanji tried to be quiet, but as Law got more comfortable and began sucking faster, his cries slowly grew louder.

Sanji's hips jerked as Law sucked, saliva dripping down his cock. Law's tongue flicked the underside of his cockhead, and Sanji's vision blurred for a second, the pleasure nearly overwhelming.

"Fuck, Law, I won't last long," he panted, moaning as Law hummed around him.

He felt himself getting close, and just as he thought he would come, he heard a sudden noise from outside. Law stilled, having heard it too, and eyed Sanji with a devious look in his eyes. Sanji didn't like that look one bit.

"Don't you dare," Sanji whispered, one hand slapping over his mouth as Law continued sucking him hard and fast. If they got caught right now, Sanji would kill Law. He wasn't good at being quiet, especially when he came, and Law fucking knew it.

"L-Law, don't, I can't," Sanji whispered, panting as he felt himself near the edge. The tight coil in his groin was about to snap, the pleasure too much for him to handle.

"Hah, oh fuck, _Law_!" he cried, vision going white as he came, Law swallowing around his throbbing cock.

He felt himself slide down the wall, legs too shaky to support him. He heard Law chuckle and glared at the man, trying to catch his breath.

"I'm assuming that felt good?" he asked, grinning when Sanji merely glared harder.

"If someone heard me I'm going to fucking kill you," he growled, hoping nobody had been walking by. Law sat back and smirked, Sanji's eyes traveling down between his legs. "Looks like you enjoyed yourself."

Law looked down and blinked as if he'd just realized he was hard, "You're very attractive, especially when you make such nice sounds."

Sanji flushed and crossed his arms, "Yeah well, I owe you one."

Law looked away, his cheeks darkening suspiciously, "Yes, well, we can deal with that later."

Sanji merely grinned, leaning in to kiss Law. He would repay Law tonight, one way or another. He just hoped Law would be willing to let him do more.

* * *

Sanji was jittery that night, hands shaking slightly as he prepared dinner. He knew what he wanted to do to Law tonight, but he wasn't sure the surgeon would allow it. Plus, he had no experience with it. But if Law could do it, certainly he could too.

"I heard you had fun earlier," Usopp's smug voice suddenly said, and Sanji felt his face turn several shades of red. He _knew_ someone had heard them.

"Shut. Up. If you tell anyone, I swear," Sanji growled, gulping nervously as Nami entered the galley.

"Sanji-kun, you should consider yourself lucky. Usually you have to pay for something like that. You got it for free, from a warlord no less," Nami said, grinning evilly as Sanji hid his face.

"Is there no such thing as privacy anymore?" he groaned, hating how quickly gossip spread.

"On a ship? Not really. Especially with someone as loud as you," Usopp snickered, making high-pitched imitations of Sanji. Nami giggled as Sanji kicked Usopp into the wall, patting the irate blond on the back.

"There there, Sanji-kun, at least you're making progress with him. I'm assuming you have something planned for tonight?"

Sanji blushed, not wanting to dignify that with an answer, but Nami knew anyways.

"Just think of it as a popsicle, Sanji-kun!" she said, leaving the kitchen as Sanji sputtered in embarrassment.

Usopp followed her, a wide grin on his face, "Or a banana! Just try not to choke!"

"I'll kill you!" Sanji screeched, collapsing onto the sofa and huffing out an irritated breath. He tried to calm down, the blood slowly leaving his face, when suddenly Law entered the kitchen and he got nervous all over again.

Law paused at seeing Sanji so flustered, wondering what happened to the cook this time. "Everything alright?"

"Oh, everything's fine, except Usopp heard me earlier thanks to you," Sanji said, stalking closer to Law and jabbing him in the chest.

Law's lips twitched as if he wanted to smirk, but luckily for him he kept it hidden. "Forgive me, I didn't think anyone would actually hear you."

"Yeah, well, you're still gonna get it tonight."

Law smirked at him then, pulling Sanji closer and sucking on his neck. "Am I now? How so?"

"You'll find out," Sanji replied, gripping Law's ass before pulling away form him. "Now if you don't mind, I have dinner to cook."

"Hmph, fine," Law huffed, sitting at the table and watching as Sanji finished preparing dinner. He supposed whatever the blond was planning, he would just have to wait and see.

* * *

They met in the aquarium again, Sanji fidgeting in his seat as he considered what he was about to do. Law wasn't even comfortable being _seen_ naked, Sanji wasn't sure the man would let him suck him off. But he had to try, or else they would never make any progress. He was fine with never getting to that point with Law, sure he wanted it, but Law was clearly out of his element and not comfortable with it. But Law was determined to push himself, he wanted it for some reason, so Sanji would help get him to that point.

But that was easier said than done.

Law was capable of closing himself off at the speed of light, something that confused Sanji greatly. He was unpredictable, emotionally unstable, and yet he could flirt like he had all the experience in the world. Sanji was at a loss.

"So, what are we doing?" Law asked, kissing Sanji's neck and making the cook more nervous, if anything.

"Uh, well, I still wanted to...return the favor from earlier. That is, ah, if you're okay with that," Sanji was quick to add, hating that he was probably blushing. But asking someone like Law if he could suck his dick was a little embarrassing, even for someone as crass as him.

He could see the hesitation, but typical for Law, he acted like he was fine with it.

"I suppose I'm okay with that," he replied, knowing damn well that he didn't sound convincing.

"Law, really-"

"No, I want it. It's nothing important anyways," Law tried to brush it off, unzipping his pants and then hesitating. His eyebrows furrowed in frustration and Sanji knew he had to step in.

"If you're really sure, then let me do everything. If you want to stop just tell me and I will," Sanji said, waiting for Law's approval before getting onto his knees and pulling down the surgeon's tight pants. Law's clothed erection stood before Sanji, and now he felt nervous, because Law wasn't exactly small and his mouth was only so big.

He glanced up at Law to make sure it was okay to continue. The surgeon was adamantly avoiding eye contact, but nodded curtly for Sanji to move forward.

He'd never felt more threatened by a piece of fabric in his life. Law could very well snap and cut his hand off right now. Not that he would, Sanji was nervous and imagining the worst case scenario, but Law was definitely on edge and that made Sanji more nervous.

Still, the boxers came off, slowly but surely. Law was staring pointedly at the wall, poker face ruined by his blush and not wanting to see Sanji's reaction. Not that he had a reaction, because...well, what was he supposed to do? It looked just like his except longer and a different skin tone. But knowing how important it was for them to have gotten so far, he reacted the only way he really knew how.

Law's entire body jolted as Sanji licked a long strip up the length of his cock, not entirely put off by the slightly salty taste.

Seeing that Law was still okay, he continued, taking the swollen head into his mouth and swirling his tongue around. Law shifted, hands twitching at his sides, and Sanji knew he was off to a good start. He gradually took more of Law into his mouth until he couldn't fit anymore without gagging, getting used to the feel of Law's cock in his mouth. The surgeon made a tiny noise that told Sanji to keep going. He eventually built up a pace that he was comfortable with, Law's hips jerking with every bob of Sanji's head. It only took a few minutes for Law to come undone and give into the sensations, his hand gripping Sanji's head.

He glanced up and was pleased to see Law staring at him heatedly, his mouth open as gasps escaped him. Sanji moved faster, one hand holding Law's narrow hips down while the other moved between his open legs, finding his balls and gently squeezing them. Law's head dropped against the back of the couch, a little groan escaping his mouth, and Sanji knew he had Law in the palm of his hands now, literally and figuratively.

"Shit," Law cursed as Sanji gave a particularly hard suck, his hips jutting up as come suddenly filled Sanji's mouth. The taste wasn't pleasant, but it was bearable, salty and warm as Sanji swallowed. When he looked up again Law was staring at him, slightly mortified.

"Forgive me, I should have warned you-"

"Don't even start apologizing, that was fucking hot," Sanji growled, smashing his lips against Law's to shut the surgeon up. Law had nothing to feel guilty about, but of course he would try to find something.

"I wasn't really expecting it to end that fast," Law looked bitter at that, so Sanji kissed him again, straddling his still naked waist.

"It doesn't matter, I didn't last long either. Hell, I almost came just from that."

"You're exaggerating," Law said, eyes widening when Sanji gently cupped his cheek and shook his head.

"I'm not. Don't you know how fucking hot I think you are?"

Law looked bitter again, and Sanji was really starting to wonder if he would ever figure the man out. His eyes traveled down to Law's neck, noticing a lighter patch of skin peeking out from under his shirt. Sanji had no idea what they were from, but they seemed to be everywhere and they obviously made Law self-conscious. Sanji hesitantly leaned in closer, lips latching onto that spot, and he could feel Law tense beneath him.

"Mr. Blackleg-"

"I just sucked your dick, you'd better call me Sanji," he said, pulling Law's shirt down to kiss yet another patch of skin. Law knew what he was doing, but he was letting Sanji continue so the cook figured that was a good sign.

" _Sanji_ ," he panted, and the blond could feel something hard against his ass. "What are you doing?"

"They bother you, right? You don't have to tell me anything, I just want you to know that they don't bother me at all. I still think you're fucking hot," Sanji said, sliding off Law and getting back onto his knees. He pulled Law's shirt up, kissing all of the spots on his stomach, tongue dipping between his abdominal muscles. He kissed the lighter patches of skin between Law's legs, licking his way up the insides of his thighs, but ignoring Law's now twitching cock.

"You've made your point- _ah_!" Law jolted as Sanji suddenly took his entire length into his mouth, sucking hard and fast. He watched, entranced, as Law gasped for breath, hips bucking into Sanji's mouth. Seeing Law flustered wasn't something Sanji was used to, but right now he was enjoying it. When he suddenly pulled off Law glared at him, though it held no real threat. Not with the obvious blush staining his dark cheeks.

"Heh, you recovered fast. Ready to come again already?" Sanji grinned, grabbing Law's hands as the surgeon attempted to yank his pants back up. "You're so touchy."

Law merely glared at him, but when Sanji began sucking on his fingers, that glare melted away. "Do you intend on torturing me all night?"

"Hmm, that does sound tempting. But I think I'll be nice tonight. That is, if you take your shirt off," Sanji smirked, hoping Law would comply. The surgeon hesitated, but pulled his shirt over his head anyways, watching nervously as Sanji once again straddled him. He pushed Law down onto the bench, removing his own shirt and kissing even more of Law's skin, surprised at how much of it was lighter. They were hard to notice with all of his tattoos, but now that Sanji was close enough, he could see all of them.

Law groaned beneath him, the sound going straight to Sanji's groin. He felt Law tugging on his pants and was quick to remove them, mind foggy as he felt their naked cocks rub against each other. He licked and kissed as much of Law as he could, and while all of the attention had to be overwhelming to someone like Law, he seemed to be enjoying it.

" _Sanji_ ," Law panted, writhing as the blond licked behind his ear. Sanji smirked, teeth nipping at the same spot, and Law practically whined.

"Oh? Looks like we're sensitive here," he purred, gently kissing the spot and grinning at how wet Law's cock had become.

"I'm going to kill you," Law panted, reaching between them to grab both of their cocks in his hand, jerking them off hard and fast.

"Try it," Sanji replied, biting down on Law's shoulder. The surgeon's hips stuttered, come spilling over Law's hand as he groaned, hand still pumping until Sanji came as well. They panted for breath, ignoring the mess between them for now.

"That was hardly necessary, I hope you know. I'm well aware that they aren't the most attractive things to look at," Law eventually said, watching Sanji retrieve a tissue to clean them both up.

"Law, if I didn't find them attractive I wouldn't have done that. I really don't mind them. Nothing you say can change my mind, I'll always think you're gorgeous," Sanji said, blushing a bit at his choice of words. It was true, though. Law was a gorgeous man, and he needed to know it.

Sure enough, Law blushed too, pulling his pants back up and clearing his throat. "Yes, well, I suppose I'm inclined to think of them as ugly. They only serve as reminders of my childhood."

Sanji wanted to ask, he really did, but he didn't want to pry into Law's personal life. It was clear the man didn't like talking about himself, and Sanji wasn't going to push him. But damn, was he curious.

Law seemed to notice this, and with a heavy sigh, he pulled Sanji back down onto the bench. "Have you ever heard of amber lead poisoning?"

Several bells went off in Sanji's head. He'd been in the North Blue when it happened, stuck with his shitty so-called family. News of amber lead poisoning spread fast, and the fall of Flevance did as well. But Sanji had heard that there were no survivors. Nobody could live with the disease, but apparently Law was an exception.

"You're from Flevance? But how?" he asked, hesitating as he realized Law might not want to talk too much about it. "I mean, you don't have to tell me or anything."

"It's fine, you deserve some sort of an explanation. I had the sickness just like everyone else. Despite what the government said, it actually wasn't contagious. Children were being born with it only because adults had such high exposure to it. By the time symptoms started showing, it was too late. The government wiped us out, but I survived, and pursued Doflamingo afterwards," Law explained, eyebrows furrowing at the mention of Doflamingo. Sanji could practically feel his hatred towards the warlord, and wondered why Law would have ever sought him out.

"But how did you live? I didn't think there was a cure for it," Sanji asked, hoping to get as much information out of Law since he felt like opening up.

"There wasn't. I met someone important during my time training with Doflamingo, and he essentially saved my life. If it wasn't for him, I never would have obtained my fruit and gained the ability to cut the disease out of my body. Unfortunately, these lighter patches of skin are the result, and they will never go away."

Sanji had so many questions, but Law was giving him the bare minimum of information for a reason, and he wasn't going to push it. "Well, I'm glad you told me that. But my opinion of you hasn't changed, you know," Sanji said, and Law almost looked...relieved? As if he was expecting Sanji to suddenly hate him.

"I suppose I should be happy, although I can't understand what you find so attractive about me."

"Just wait, Trafalgar. Someday I'll make you see yourself the way I see you." Sanji kissed Law then, determined to get rid of all of Law's doubts about himself, because from what he could tell, the surgeon had no self-worth whatsoever.

And Sanji didn't really have any room to talk, but dammit, he refused to let Law be like that. One way or another, he would convince the surgeon of his own worth.

* * *

 **Sorry for the long wait! I've been majorly side-tracked thanks to pokemon go, but I managed to finally finish this. I also wrote a little lawsan oneshot, so if you want more sexy times with these two you should read it!**


	12. Chapter 12

Sanji was on edge the next day. After everything they had been through, Dressrosa was _finally_ only a day away. Law had plans, but with time running so thin, Sanji wasn't sure what would happen. The surgeon was bound and determined to push their relationship further, whether he was fully comfortable with sex or not.

And he wasn't, Sanji definitely knew that much.

Law had never experienced those types of feelings before, something Sanji didn't understand at all, because if anything he had been _hyper_ sexual his entire life. If that was even a thing. For whatever reason, Law felt sexual attraction only to Sanji, which was quite flattering.

Still, time was running out, and Sanji wasn't the only one on edge.

Law was fidgety and very clearly agitated. Sanji didn't know the guy all that well despite being in a temporary relationship with him, but even he knew what was going through Law's mind right now. Feeling pressured to hurry up and do it but not having enough nerves to go through with it, which more than likely pissed him off. And then there was the issue of Doflamingo, but that was a different obstacle entirely.

Sanji had tried several times to calm the surgeon down, but Law was undoubtedly one of the most stubborn people he'd ever met and refused to snap out of it. All Sanji could do was wait to see when and if the warlord would make a move.

Which took all day, as it would happen.

Law waited until after dinner that night to grab Sanji and lead him into the aquarium. The benches there were small, but nobody would hear them at least. Law looked stressed, which irritated Sanji, because sex was supposed to be a pleasurable experience. Clearly he would have to work on Law before they could actually do anything.

"Alright, take your clothes off and sit down. If we're going to do this, then we have to do it right," Sanji said, ignoring the glare Law gave him at being bossed around. "I mean it Law, you're way too tense. I'm not letting you fuck me if you're this uptight."

Law's shoulders sagged a bit as he realized Sanji was right, but he was still far too tense for Sanji's liking. He was quick to strip, straddling Law's naked hips and gripping his tan shoulders. He could feel how bunched the muscles were beneath his fingers and sighed, firmly kneading Law's shoulders the same way he kneaded bread. Law hissed, tensing even more, and Sanji knew he had his work cut out for him.

"Alright, get on your stomach, you're worse than I thought."

"Sanji, we don't have time-"

"Stop thinking about that and let me make tonight enjoyable, dammit. Don't be a bastard, just this once," Sanji said, smirking when Law glared but reluctantly did as he was told. As soon as Sanji began digging into the muscles in his back Sanji could practically see all of the grumpiness leave Law's body.

"Fuck, what the hell did you do? You're a mess!" Sanji said, finding knot after knot along Law's back. Law merely grunted, body limp as Sanji worked his magic, until Law was completely relaxed.

"Are you satisfied now?" Law asked once Sanji was finished, looking more blissed out than Sanji had ever seen him.

"Not even close. That's your job, remember?" Sanji said, smirking when Law sat up and pulled Sanji into his lap. They began kissing, Law's tongue sliding into his mouth as Sanji's fingers tangled themselves in Law's fluffy hair. They were both quick to get hard, Law's cock pressing insistently against Sanji's ass.

"Do you have any lube?" Law asked him, which thankfully Sanji remembered to bring some. He busied himself with sucking on Law's neck while the surgeon began preparing him, one oiled finger sliding slowly into Sanji, the feeling strange if anything. Law's free hand began stroking his cock, distracting him at least until Law added another finger. The stretch wasn't painful, but it was a little hard to ignore. But Law was patient with him, going slow and easing him into it until the feeling became pleasurable and he was gasping for more.

"I'm ready, just do it," Sanji panted, cock leaking over Law's hand as he continued to stroke the blond, enjoying the faces Sanji was making. Law had covered his own cock with oil already and was now just torturing Sanji, leaving the tip just at his entrance and refusing to go any further.

"Are you sure? You seem to be enjoying this," Law purred, gripping Sanji's hips when he nearly impaled himself onto Law's dick, "Alright, fine, just don't do that."

Sanji's jaw dropped open when Law suddenly jerked his hips up, the tip of his cock entering Sanji a little faster than the cook was ready for. The surgeon bit his lip and waited, and Sanji realized he was probably nervous.

"Oi, it's just me. You don't have to be so jittery," Sanji said, cupping Law's face and kissing the man, their tongues sliding together slowly. Sanji felt Law's cock twitch, the feeling odd but weirdly hot, being able to feel just how turned on Law was.

"I don't want to hurt you," Law replied, eyebrows furrowed as he slowly slid deeper into Sanji, the cook groaning in response.

"Oh, fuck, you're not. Trust me," Sanji groaned, pulling on Law's hair as the man sucked on his neck, surely leaving marks.

Law's dick was twitching restlessly inside of him now, Sanji being completely seated on Law's lap.

"Hey, are you close already? Is that what that is?" Sanji asked, chuckling a bit at how it felt.

"Shut up," Law grumbled, hands gripping Sanji's hips tightly when he tried to move.

Sanji grinned, tugging on Law's hair and trying to wiggle his hips around. The surgeon made an odd noise in the back of his throat before suddenly deciding to jump into action, thrusting his hips and sliding in and out of Sanji who could only gasp and hold on for dear life in response. Law had a lot of power behind his narrow little hips and Sanji hadn't been ready for him to suddenly move.

"A-Ah! Oh fuck, Law, that's it," Sanji panted, crying out as Law continued stroking him off as well. At this rate he wouldn't last long, but Law was already at his limit and barely holding on.

Sanji gasped every time his ass came into contact with Law's lap, the feeling of being stretched open almost too much to handle. Law was looking at him with such heat in his golden eyes, teeth digging into his bottom lip as he tried desperately not to come, hand flying over Sanji's dripping cock.

"Sanji...I-I'm..." Law gasped, hot come shooting into Sanji's ass suddenly. Sanji was so overwhelmed by Law's orgasm he didn't feel his own coming, his release covering their stomachs, leaving them a hot, sticky mess.

They both panted for breath as they came off their high, Sanji wincing as he removed himself from Law, trying to ignore the come dribbling out of his ass. Sanji lit up a cigarette immediately, finding something to clean them up with and enjoying how completely boneless Law looked. He'd never seen the surgeon so relaxed.

"So, what did you think?" Sanji asked, handing Law a towel he found and raising an eyebrow at the shrug he got in return. "Eh? What's that mean?"

"It was enjoyable, I suppose," He replied, looking up at Sanji and giving the cook a rather cocky grin.

"Oh, is that so? Well, if that's how you feel then maybe I'll give it to someone who actually wants-"

"Don't you dare," Law said, suddenly appearing behind Sanji and holding the cook close. Sanji's head rolled back when Law began sucking on his neck hard, groaning at the very dark hickey that was sure to be there.

"Oh-ho? Is someone the jealous type?" Sanji smirked, a little breathless after that. He rubbed his neck, the spot a little sore, but grinned regardless. He certainly wasn't expecting that from Law.

Law looked a little irritated if anything, which answered Sanji's question. "I can't say what will happen to me in Dressrosa. But as long as I'm still breathing, nobody else gets to touch you and continue to live afterwards."

Sanji raised an eyebrow, wondering where the sudden protectiveness was coming from, "And when we're no longer allied? We agreed on temporary, remember?"

Law frowned even more if possible, something dark flashing across his eyes, and Sanji wondered if he'd taken it too far. Law seemed to really be taking it serious, for whatever reason. It wasn't like the surgeon to get so attached.

"Then you are free to do as you choose. I can't control that," Law stood and began getting dressed, his attitude completely different from what it had been minutes ago. Sanji watched, confused as he tried to figure out what had changed. They had agreed on a casual, temporary relationship, so why was Law getting so touchy about it? And where was the weird protectiveness coming from?

"Hey, wait a minute, are we-"

"We're fine. I hope the experience was enjoyable for you as well," Law said dismissively, attempting to walk past Sanji and blow off the conversation. But Sanji was quick to grab his hand, gripping it tighter as Law tried to pull away.

"Hey, don't do that," Sanji said, pulling Law closer to him even as the surgeon struggled to break free. Sanji felt like he was handling a feral cat. But Law was acting beyond weird and he needed to know why. "Law- will you just listen to me dammit? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"It would be best to drop it, Mr. Blackleg-"

Sanji was quick to kick his leg out and knock Law onto the floor, pinning the surgeon down with his knees and leaning in close to Law's surprised and slightly irritated face. Law blinked up at him, alarmed at the sudden intensity in Sanji's blue eyes.

"Don't you dare..." Sanji growled, voice low as he glared at Law, "Call me that. I've had enough of your little defense mechanisms, Trafalgar. I see through them now. Every time you start to feel things for me, you try to back off and revert to that shit. We just had _sex_ , Law. I know that's a lot for you to take in, but-"

"You _don't_ know," Law replied, looking incredibly conflicted. Sanji sighed and got off of the man, but kept a good grip on his shoulders in case he tried to get away again.

"Then tell me. This is our last night together, maybe forever. Tell me where this is all coming from," Sanji pleaded, desperate for answers knowing that Law intended on throwing his life away in Dressrosa if he had to.

Law sighed, running a hand through his hair and looking away from Sanji.

"I've never loved anyone. That's not to say I didn't love my family, but they all ended up dead. Anyone I've ever felt love towards is dead now, Sanji. That's why I vowed to never allow myself to get close to another human being again. I've been too busy with my plans against Doflamingo, I really never had time to think about it anyways. Until now, that is..." Law trailed off, not wanting to look at Sanji, who was beginning to piece things together.

"Law...are you saying that...you love-"

"Our relationship is indeed temporary, however that does not prevent me from developing feelings for you, however inconvenient and unplanned those feelings may be. I can't tell you if it's love or not because I have not experienced that feeling in well over a decade. What I _can_ tell you, Sanji, is that I care you for a bit more than I had intended on allowing myself and therefore can't help but feel a little protective," Law said, voice stiff and monotone as he pointedly avoided eye contact with Sanji.

Sanji blinked at the rather robotic way Law had put it, but he did understand. For someone like Law, experiencing these feelings meant that Sanji was someone he could lose, just like he'd lost everyone else. Whether it was love or not didn't matter, Law still cared about him, and that said a lot.

"Okay. Thank you for explaining that, I think I get it. But you don't have to worry, I'm a one-man guy. Once you've got me, you're stuck with me, got it? Don't think I'll run off the minute you look away."

Law regarded him for a moment before smirking, relieved that Sanji could understand him without too much difficulty. He knew he was a pain sometimes, but he had his reasons, and Sanji was the only person he could tell that too and actually feel comfortable about it. He still had plenty of other things to tell Sanji, but for now that could wait.

They still had Dressrosa to get through, and after that? Well, who could really tell, but Sanji did know one thing. As long as they were together, they would work out any problems that came their way.

What's the worst that could happen?

* * *

 **Yes, I'm ending it here, literally after months of no updating. The fact that I finished this is just amazing. Thank you to whoever kept up with this, I'm sorry for the hell I put you through! But guess what? THAT'S RIGHT, ANOTHER SEQUEL! Yes, I'm serious, I already have the first 2 chapters written but I'm not going to post it yet. It takes place post-the year of Sanji, which is turning out to be a disaster for our boy, and Law is just not apart of it which makes me sad. But yeah, I'm working on that now, so keep an eye out!**


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